The Wandering Shadow
by Discarab
Summary: A powerful young sith lord's escape pod lands on a mysterious planet. Now stranded, there is only one thing he can do: Learn and evolve. But one thing is certain: Heads will roll. For those of you who love a good ol' antihero. Chapter 3 is out!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Thank you for clicking on my story, blah, blah, blah. Whatever! Let's hurry up and get to the meat!**

 **Time: ATLA: Right after Toph joins team Avatar**

 **Star Wars: During the Clone Wars**

 **Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Star Wars or ATLA, all I own is this story.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A Wandering Shadow  
**

" Mr. Vitaii, Mr. Vitaii! Pay attention! "

 _Wack~_

" Ow! " Yelled the young padawan as a metal ruler was brought down on his head. Snapping out of his daze, the boy turned to the source of the voice. Standing right in front of his desk was none other than his twi'leken mentor: Vania Navaro, the blue-skinned jedi was busy tapping her ruler on the window sill next to his desk; as she stared at him with her annoyed, yet ever calculating, vision.

" Now that your back to the realm of the living Kel Vitaii, why don't you explain to me how a basic hyperdrive cog works? " The jedi asked the padawan as she walked back to her desk in the center of the room. Sighing, the boy stood up and opened his holographic textbook to the appropriate chapter.

" Once a command is given to the main console for light-speed travel; fuel is immediately sent to the engines, to keep the ship from falling apart at such high speeds, a small shield is then formed around the ship. This shield is known as the hyperdrive cog, and serves to keep the atoms of the physical ship intact for the duration of light-speed travel. " The padawan then closed his holographic textbook and sank back down into his chair.

" A flawless answer, but what should I expect from my top student? Keep this up and you'll be joining the jedi order in no time Kel. " Kel only sighed again and turned his golden eyes back to the open window. Normally, Kel didn't act like this. If this was any other day the young padawan would have been busy taking extensive notes; while trying to remember every word of Vania's lectures. But this wasn't every day, as the ten year old padawan had developed an odd feeling of dread that he just couldn't seem to shake off.

" Now can somebody explain to me what the Sith are? " Vania asked from behind her desk, a female padawan in the back raised her hand.

" The Sith are an organization of force users who strayed from the path of the light, " Vania nodded at the padawan's answer before turning to the holographic board behind her. Kel, still not listening, only stared at the sky above. But his classmate's answer did make him think.

 _" Speaking of the Sith, how did they gain so much power in such a small time span? "_ Kel wondered, if he wasn't mistaken there were very few Sith left in the galaxy, yet in such amount of time they managed to gather an intergalactic army and plunged the galaxy into the clone wars. _" There cannot be light without darkness, "_ Kel thought as he stared up at the blue sky, which hung over the large trees imported in from Endor. However, the young padawan did not get much time to think on the issue, as a shining red dot appeared on the horizon. Squinting, the boy could barely make out that the red dot was getting closer and closer. Raising his hand, the boy turned to his teacher.

" Yes Kel, do you have a question? " Kel shook his head and pointed outside the window.

" It's nothing teacher, it's just that, do you know what that red dot is? " Kel asked, still staring at the rapidly approaching red dot.

" Red dot? " Vania asked him as she walked over to his window, " What are you talking about Kel- " The second Vania's eyes landed on the ' red dot ' she immediately pulled out and activated her blue lightsaber. " Everybody get down! " She yelled to her class, but only Kel had enough time to realize what she had said; and dived underneath his desk. The padawan only had a few seconds to watch as a giant red laser skewered his classroom. The ceiling above began to shake, and Kel, underneath the desk; couldn't see as a large piece of debris fell onto his desk. The desk collapsed under the weight of the rock, bringing it, and the desk down on top of the padawan. Everything went dark.

* * *

Kel blinked a few times before opening his eyes. His vision was blurry and he couldn't move, straining, the boy lifted up his head. He could see around twenty or so battle droids all pointing their guns towards a group in the center, moving his head, Kel saw that the group consisted of his teacher Vania and his fellow padawans. Vania's right arm was hanging loose at her waist, her left was busy covering a giant gash on her right abdomen. At his teacher's feet lay her lightsaber, cut in half. A few moments later, the ringing in his ears began to quiet down and Kel could hear what Vania was saying.

" I'll never let you have my students you traitor! " Vania yelled to someone in the room, straining his head to the side; Kel saw that she was talking to a man with white hair and a beard. Kel recognized him from his textbooks, the Jedi gone Sith: Count Dooku.

" I'm not here to take your students from you Vania, " the man said as the battle droids raised their guns towards Kel's teacher and fellow padawans. " As much as I hate wasting new talent, I'm actually here to exterminate them and you. "

" Your a monster. "

" No, I'm just following orders. Now then, " Count Dooku raised his right hand and the battle droids prepared their weapons.

" Stop... " Kel whispered from underneath the debris. However, the droids could not hear him as they raised their weapons at his friends and master. " Stop this! " Kel whispered as loud as he could, yet still the droids could not hear him. Kel could only watch in horror as the droids rose their mechanical fingers towards their triggers. Kel was mad, he experienced an anger like no other, the anger of being helpless. It sparkled through him, the anger enveloping him as though it was flowing through him like electricity. " I said stop! " This time, Kel screamed out his command; but the padawan did something else as well. Raising his free arm, lightning exploded forth from his fingertips. Hitting almost fifteen of the droids, causing them to sputter and short circuit. Count Dooku with wide eyes turned to the source of the lightning, it was only then did he notice the young padawan underneath the debris. To say he was shocked didn't justify what he felt, force lighting was an advanced move of the Sith, requiring years upon years of training. Yet here was this boy, no more than ten years of age, who managed to destroy seventy-five percent of his droids in one blast.

" Sir, should we continue? " The mechanical voice of one of the remaining droids asked the Sith lord. Count Dooku only raised his right hand in conformation before walking towards the pinned padawan. Neither him, nor Kel noticed as the sound of laser fire filled the air. Count Dooku was busy calculating what he should do next while Kel was just busy trying not to pass out from exhaustion. Kneeling down next to the boy Count Dooku raised his hand and, using the force, lifted the giant debris off of the ten-year old. With the debris now removed the remaining droids finally noticed the boy and walked over next to Count Dooku, raising their weapons the droids prepared to finish their objective.

" What are you doing? " Count Dooku asked as he watched the droids prepare to kill the padawan, said padawan was busy glaring at the six of them with all his might; but his energy was drained, and all he could do was await his death.

" We must follow our orders Master Dooku, said orders were to leave no jedi or padawan alive. Therefore we must kill the boy, " the droid captain finished and raised his weapon. Kel, seeing that they were about to fire, closed his eyes and waited for the intense pain. Said pain; however, never came, instead replaced with the sound of a lightsaber slashing through metal. Looking up, the boy saw Count Dooku standing over him with his lightsaber on. The droids lay slashed into pieces at his feet. Kneeling down, Count Dooku extended his hand to the boy.

" Do you want power? " He asked Kel.

" What? "

" I said do you want power? Do you want the power to bring vengeance to the people who ordered this? Or do you prefer to wither hear and die? " Kel only stared at the Sith lord with widened and confused eyes. Count Dooku extended his arm even more, " I can give you that power, a power greater than any jedi, a power greater than any Sith. But only if you choose to except me as your teacher. " Kel only gazed at Count Dooku in thought of his proposition, but he did not have much time. As from the doorway the two could hear the marching of a new group of droids. Count Dooku didn't even look away from the boy. " We don't have much time, now give me your answer. Will you take my hand and get stronger, or wither away like a rat in the sewer? "

" I... " Kel looked down towards the ground for a moment before staring back up at Dooku with eyes of fire. If he could get stronger none of this would have happened. He could kill the bastard who decided to kill his friend and teacher, but to kill that bastard, the one who was kneeling right in front of him. He would need to get much, much stronger. He must acquire a strength greater than that of the light. So, with eyes of determination, Kel reached up and took Dooku's hand. Count Dooku smiled and lifted the boy up.

" Right answer. " And just like that, he walked out of the classroom with Kel Vitaii lying in his arms.

* * *

 **4 years later**

The medicine cabinet squeaked shut in the ships bathroom, Kel was traveling with his master to the outer rim for, what he said: was something important. Kel sighed as he stared at himself in the mirror, his shadowy hair had grown out from his padawan years, and his gold eyes now held an intimidating edge to them.

 _" Has it already been four years since then? "_ Kel wondered as he washed his face, ever since Count Dooku had taken him under his wing, his progress in the dark side of the force had been going unrealistically well. At least, that's what his master had told him. In one short year he had managed to master force lightning, and had toned his body into withstanding the toughest of conditions. Count Dooku would drop him off naked on Hoth or Tatooine with only a lightsaber, after a week his master would return to see if he was dead or not. Luckily, some of the textbooks he read back in his days of a padawan had information on how to survive in extreme conditions. After passing those tests it was onto the force, first was using the force to pick up objects, next was throwing, holding things steady, etc... Count Dooku said he was especially skilled when it came to holding up heavy objects. One time on Tatooine, he had managed to pick up five ARC-170s without breaking a sweat. But then again, when left naked on a desert planet, lifting five starships seemed to be the easiest of tasks. After that his master had begun teaching him how to use a lightsaber, but not in the traditional way. Instead of teaching him himself, Count Dooku would take him to sword masters of multiple races and have them teach him how to fight with a sword. It was only quite recently that Count Dooku himself had taken up that mantle. Giving himself one last glance, Kel put on his dark grey gi and walked out into the bowels of the starship. Making his way to the main hallway, Kel stared out the window as their ship passed a red giant. Eventually, a grey translator droid walked up to him.

" Master Dooku requests your presence Master Vitaii, " was all the droid said before bowing and walking away. Kel only nodded and clinched his fists.

 _" It's been four years since I swore to kill him, but am I powerful enough? "_ Kel could only wonder, he never forgot the first day he met his master, and was still waiting for that chance to quiet him for good. But... he was hesitant, was he strong enough? Will he ever be strong enough? Kel had no benchmark for how strong his master was, for he never saw his master fight. Whenever there was a mission that required fighting, Count Dooku would only watch from the sidelines as Kel slashed, crushed, and choked his enemies to pieces. _" No... I'll get my chance, I just have to wait for the opportune moment. "_ With that, Kel turned and walked towards Count Dooku's quarters.

" Enter, " was all Count Dooku said when Kel walked up to the door.

" You requested my presence master? " Kel asked as he bowed down, Count Dooku was too busy staring out of his own window to grace him with a glance. It wasn't until minutes later did Count Dooku finally speak.

" Your training is complete. " Was all Count Dooku said, with his back still turned to Kel. It took a few moments for his words to register, but when they did Kel shot up. A strand of shadowy-black hair swaying in front of his eyes.

" What?! Master there is no way my training is complete! It's only been four years! "

" That's what surprised me at first, I knew you had potential, but to make so much progress so quickly. It is truly astonishing how far you've come in the dark side in such a small amount of time. "

" But I lack experience! "

" In what, fighting? There's a reason I let you vent your rage for me out on our enemies. " At his words Kel went silent.

" You knew? " Count Dooku laughed.

" Did you think I didn't? Ever since day one you wanted me dead, and that hatred and determination may have contributed to your training exponentially. Either way, me dead or not, there is nothing left I can teach you in the path of the dark side. " Kel, once again, went silent. " But that doesn't mean I'm done with you boy, you have a mission to complete, and this time I'm not going to be there dragging you through the waves of blood. " Count Dooku took out a data chip and tossed it to Kel. Catching it, Kel scanned over it's every inch with his golden eyes. Like a snake scanning over its prey's surroundings. " Deliver that disk to Coruscant, I expect you to be fast and efficient. I give you permission to use my spare transport.

" Yes, my master. " Kel bowed and got up.

" Wait, if your a sith you must look the part. " Waving his hand a droid came in carrying two items, the droid handed the items to Kel who's eyes went wide once he recognized what they were. The first was a black Sith robe, the hood had an extra piece of cloth underneath the mouth that could be used to hide the lower part of his face if need be; the second was his very own lightsaber. Similar to Count Dooku's except the hilt was an inch or two longer and the guard ran horizontal to the blade, not vertical. Taking the robe and the lightsaber, Kel quickly put on the robe and placed the lightsaber in his hilt. However, before walking out the door Count Dooku spoke up.

" Two things my apprentice: If you see my master, and you'll know when you do, avoid him at all costs. If he knew of your existence there would be no doubt that he would have you killed. " Kel nodded at his words.

" And the second? " Count Dooku smiled.

" You aren't going to get that chance to kill me. " Kel went silent at his words.

" Why? "

" Because my time has already come, it is not your destiny to kill me, but theirs. " Count Dooku pointed towards a blip on the ships radar. " If you still want to kill me I won't stop you, just know that in doing so you'll be exposed as well. " Kel went silent.

" You, you bastard, why didn't you tell me this before?! " Kel yelled. Count Dooku went back to staring outside the window.

" Sometimes a Sith must learn what happens when a plan years in the making fails to come to fruition. If you doubt me, reach into the force, I know you can feel my death approaching as well. " Kel gritted his teeth, as much as it frustrated him, his master was right, there really was nothing he could do. He could kill Dooku where he stood, but then he would die as well, and those four years of hard training would have gone to waste. It wasn't long before the ships alarm went off and the marching of droids could be heard from around the ship. Count Dooku smiled and turned his head back to his student.

" Ahh memories, this is just like when I first found you paralyzed on the floor. Now this is your last chance, just like four years ago you must make a choice: Kill me and die, or go do the mission I gave you and survive. " Count Dooku smiled as he walked up to Kel, who was currently gritting his teeth in anger.

" You, you bastard! " Kel activated his lightsaber, the red blade ate away at the metal floor greedily, causing steam to rise up from the now molten metal. After a few minutes of staring at Dooku with a glare that could kill, Kel deactivated his lightsaber and turned towards the door. The rumbling of fighting droids could be heard all around. " Don't you dare die now, I'll come back from this mission, and you better be here so I can kill you. "

" Yes, yes, have fun now. " Dooku waved him off, Kel only clenched his fists and pulled up his Sith hood and mouth cover before walking out of the room, the anger radiating off him almost felt like it could melt skin. Dooku waited until his student was well out of earshot before turning back to his desk. " Thing is my young apprentice, this is the last time I'll be seeing you as well. " Dooku smiled as he watched a ship leave the docks before rocketing off into the distance. Behind him, he could hear the buzzing of lightsabers slashing apart his droid soldiers. So, giving a sigh, the old Sith lord picked up his lightsaber, and walked out the door.

* * *

 **1 hour later**

" You lazy old fart! How dare you get killed by a jed! " Kel screamed as he slashed a locker into dust from within the captains quarters. Just minutes ago, while flying to Coruscant Kel felt the force call to him as Count Dooku took his terminal breath. How dare that bastard go and die after all he did to him, those four tortuous years were all meant to slaughter Dooku, and now that was taken away from him. " How dare you... " Kel whispered this time as his fist lay indented into a nearby metal wall. He wasn't sad, but weirdly, he felt relief that the man who took so much from him finally got what he deserved. But then, going by that logic, he also should have died this day. After all, according to Dooku he was now fit to call himself a lord of the Sith, and that doesn't come by just fighting and using the force. Opening his fist, Kel stared down at the data chip his master left to him. Summoning a small bit of power, Kel activated the data chip; the small device soon opened and a 3d-holographic image soon appeared before him. All it said was one thing:

 **Have fun kid.**

After reading Dooku's final words Kel crushed the small data chip in his hands. Flopping down into a nearby chair, all he could do was stare down at the barren floor and think about what he should do. He was now a wandering Sith lord with no master, he couldn't go to Dooku's master as he warned that if he were to come into contact with his master, he would be killed. He also didn't really care about the clone wars, as his goal for the past few years was to run his lightsaber through the man who used to be his master. Sadly though, Kel did not get a chance to ponder what he should do, as the ship suddenly started shaking violently.

" What the hell?! " Kel's eyes widened and he ran to the bridge, luckily said bridge was just down the hallway. As this was just a small transport vessel. When he did get to the bridge Kel gasped. Apparently, his ship had flown right into a galactic battle while he was busy punching a wall in the other room. While he was a master of the force, no matter how powerful he was, if his ship were to get hit by a stray torpedo then it would be all over. The only shot to escape a battle like this was lightspeed; however, he wasn't familiar with this ship's layout. " Aw hell, come on you stoopa find the lightspeed switch! " He yelled as he searched the cockpit. Finally, after what seemed like years, he managed to find the activation switch for lightspeed travel. Without even thinking he pressed the button, causing the hard plastic to shatter. Soon the buzz of the roaring up engines could be heard near the back. Tapping his finger on the console, Kel could only watch as the battle raged on outside. There were two ships: One belonging to Coruscant, obviously containing one or two jedi, the other belonging to the Galactic Trade Federation. The two ships continued their colossal battle while the clones and droid armies shot at each other in their own smaller ships. " Come on, come on! Urgh, can't you go any faster! " Kel yelled at the console. As if responding to him the message finally showed up on the screen notifying him that the lightspeed drive had warmed up. Sighing, Kel clicked the button and soon the ship began to move faster and faster. Thinking he was out of the woods, Kel flopped back into the captain's chair. " Thank the force that that's over! " He said as he ran a hand through his black hair; however, he wasn't that lucky. As right before lightspeed initiated the ship shook once more. Only after that did the ship rocket off into lightspeed, red appeared everywhere and the ship began to shake wildly. " What?! " Kel yelled as he was thrown from his chair. Dragging himself off of the shaking floor, the young Sith lord brought up the damage report and discovered something which caused his hear to stop: One of the engines had been blown off of the ship, no doubt from a stray laser blast sent in his direction.

" Aw scoolang! " Kel grunted as the ship began to shake some more, stabilizing himself with the wall; Kel began to move to the back of the ship. Grabbing his lightsaber and cloak, he began to work his way back to the escape pod. Back in his padawan days there was a lesson on what to do if a ship was badly damaged at lightspeed, dropping out of hyperspace wasn't an option as it would tare the ship apart, therefore the only safe option was to abandon ship. But even that was risky, as at lightspeed the odds of dropping yourself into deep space was almost a hundred percent. So basically the lesson was: Don't go to lightspeed if you have a badly damaged ship. Kel smirked at the irony as he strapped himself into an escape pod.

 _" Yes, thank you Vania for that extremely useful piece of information. If you go into lightspeed with a badly damaged ship your pretty much far past bantha fodder. "_ Grunting, Kel strapped himself into the escape pod and closed the doors. The ship was shaking even more violently now, and felt as if it would fall apart at any second. Taking one deep breath, Kel closed his eyes and reached for the release button. _" Well, here goes nothing. "_ With that Kel slammed his fist down onto the release, he felt the escape pod lurch violently as it fell away from the ship; only to be followed by an even more violent lurch when the pod dropped out of hyperspace. Opening his eyes, Kel looked out the window only to shut them again almost immediately, instead of dark space Kel opened his eyes to a healthy glowing sun. Raising a cloaked hand over his eyes, the young sith lord turned to look outside his bottom window. His pod seemed to be gravitating towards something, and when he saw what it was he couldn't help but jump in joy. What his escape pod was flying towards was a planet, and not just any planet, but one, by the looks of it, had liquid water and plenty of life. Using the force, Kel piloted his decaying pod towards the planet. Once the escape pod got within it's gravitational pull gravity did the rest. Bracing himself, Kel held his breath as the escape pod plummeted through the planets atmosphere. He had to use the force again to keep the flames of the burning pod from entering his cabin. Eventually, when the escape pod reached a cooler altitude, the flames subsided and he could once again look outside the pod. Only to see him plummeting ever closer towards a large lake. At this speed hitting the water wasn't a safe option, but he had no way of piloting the pod when it was moving so fast, scanning the ground Kel found that near the lake borders was a patch of trees. So, undoing his safety harness, he activated his lightsaber and cut a hole in the escape pod. Taking one last breath, Kel put his foot on the edge of the cut hole and jumped out.

* * *

" Ugh... where am I? " Kel asked no one as his vision came into focus, he appeared to have landed safely in the forested region. The same couldn't be said about the escape pod though, as it appeared to have shattered and sunk once it hit the lake. Standing up, Kel looked down and inspected his body. His lightsaber lay undamaged in his belt, and his sith cloak, while slightly tattered from the fall. Still seemed to be in near-perfect condition. " Thank the force, " Kel sighed as he laid back down on the soft ground. It was nighttime, and after everything he went through; just staring up at the stars gave him a sense of bliss. But only temporarily, as after a few minutes of searching the sky Kel shot up.

 _" What the hell... Where's Tatooine? Where's Coruscant? Where's anything? "_ Kel wondered in worry as he frantically searched the stars, throughout his years of staring at night skies, he could always find at least those two planets. But here, there was nothing. The stars were all wrong, in the wrong places, in the wrong groupings. Hell, even the constellations were different. Being stranded on a planet with zero information on its location was akin to suicide, he needed to find someone. So, gathering up his things and lifting up his cloak's mouth cover, Kel began to make his way through the forest. Eventually he came to a clearing, and found that he had stepped into what looked like a rice farm.

" Ouch! " Someone yelled, turning towards the source of the yelp Kel found an old man who had apparently tripped on a rock, the man was wearing what looked to be primitive green and brown work clothes. " Dang it, I knew I should have cleared these rocks. Those pesky boys and their bending. " The man grumbled as he struggled to regain his footing in the wet soil.

" Do you need some help? " Kel asked as he walked up to the old man, and extended him a hand.

" Oh yes please! " The man said, happily taking his hand. Once he was back on his feet the man scanned over Kel, he couldn't see his face due to the shadow of his hood and the mouth cover. " Mysterious... anyway thanks for the help stranger, I don't believe I've ever seen you here before. What, do you want to sample Mr. Honaku's famous steamed rice? That would make sense. " The man wondered as he looked over the hooded figure.

" No, I'm just wandering around. Anyway, do you mind me asking what sector this planet is in? " Kel asked, but, much to his surprise, the man only looked at him with confusion riddled all over his face.

" Do you mean what village you are in, if so, then you are currently in Tiben Village. If your looking for Ba Sing Se it is towards the north. "

 _" Tiben Village? Ba Sing Se? No places I know of, where am I? "_ The unknown city names were the least of Kel's worries, the biggest problem was that this man didn't even seem to know what sectors were, not even the one where his own planet resided in, such trivial things were considered common knowledge.

" Watch out. " The man warned him, lightly pushing Kel to the left.

" Hey what was that for- " Kel was cut off when a dodge-ball sized rock flew past their heads. Looking towards the origin of the rock, Kel could see two boys running down the side of a hill.

" How many times do I have to tell you two to be careful when your practicing! Not only could you harm the crops but you nearly hit me and my friend here! " Kel watched as the two brown haired boys slid down the mountainside. Before doing something that caused Kel's eyes to widen underneath his hood. The boys then tapped the ground underneath their heels, and pillars of stone rose up and rocketed them towards him and the old man. What surprised him is that he felt no change in the force, instead it was like the energy in the ground was being redirected.

 _" They can alter this planet's energy? Where am I?! "_ Kel wondered as the two boys walked up to him, they both were about half a foot taller than he and the old man.

" Sorry father, you know how earth bending gets. " One of the boys said as he rubbed the back of his head. The old man, apparently the boys father looked ready to tear into them before Kel asked a question.

" Um, excuse me, but who are you two. "

" They're my idiot sons, the idiot to the right is Gimin, the one on the left is Mu. Speaking of which, " the boys father turned to them with a quivering vein in his forehead. " How many times have I told you two not to practice near the crops! I don't care if you two are the only benders in this village, you still have to respect peoples property! " The boys father continued to yell at them for quite some time until Kel had another question.

" Um... " Kel raised his voice, he wanted to ask these people what bending was. Much to his annoyance however, the boys and their father were too busy yelling at each other to care. " At this rate I'm going to be here all day. " Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kel waved a hand over the yelling three. Immediately the boys and their father stopped quarreling and turned to face him. " Good! Now that I have your attention do you mind answering some questions. " Kel asked, clasping his hands together. The three groggily nodded, completely under the influence of the force. " Good, well then, let's start with... " Kel asked the three questions about their world, bending, and other things that seemed to confuse him. It was near dusk when he asked his final question, and when that one was answered Kel waved a hand over the three; breaking them from the influence of the force. The boys and their father blinked for a few seconds before their eyes widened.

" Aw what?! It's dusk already? Bro, I thought you said we still had five more hours! "

" I thought we did too. "

" Maybe if you two didn't piss me off so often we could spend less time arguing, and more time doing the things we actually need to do. Now I have to do two times the amount of work tomorrow! " The father yelled at them before turning around and walking towards his house.

" We're sorry father, " the boys muttered as they followed the man back towards their home. But before they left Kel realized he had one more thing he needed to ask them.

" Hey old man! " Kel yelled towards the three.

" The name's Honaku stranger, and yes, what is it? "

" Where is the nearest lodging? " Kel asked. Honaku smiled and pointed down the road.

" Keep walking down that road until you get to the main village. To your left there is quite a good inn, it's cheap to. " Kel bowed to the three and thanked him for his help before turning towards the path. But before he left Honaku had one last thing he needed to say too, " Oh, and take this! First night's on me. Take it as thanks for helping an old man up! " Kel reached up in the air and caught what the old man had thrown to him. Looking down he saw that it was what looked to be a small copper coin. Kel nodded to the man and made his leave. On the darkly lit dirt path, all Kel had were his thoughts. Luckily he had quite alot to think about: A form of martial arts which controls the elements without using the force, the war which ravaged this world; and, the worst thing of all: The fact that this world had not yet developed an effective means of space travel, which meant... he was stuck here.

" Well, of all the planets to get stranded on this one doesn't seem that bad. At least the air is breathable. " Kel sighed and took in a deep breath of air, after a few more minutes of walking he saw the glowing lights of the village below. " Left was it? " Kel said as he took the turn to find the inn which Honaku had described. It was a quaint place, small, compact, yet homely and peaceful. Opening the door, Kel stepped into the inn causing the bell hanging from the door to ring.

" Yes, yes I'm coming. " Said a woman who appeared from what looked to be a closet, carrying more than a few cleaning items.

" I'm looking for a room, " Kel asked, placing the copper coin down on the desk in the center of the room. Placing the cleaning materials down on a table, the woman rummaged through one of her pockets before pulling out a key. Walking over she picked up the coin and handed him the key.

" Have a good night sir. " Was all the woman said before picking up her cleaning materials and walking off down a hallway.

* * *

" Mu! Gimin! Look out! "

" Ugh, what? " Kel woke up to the sound of the villagers screams, dawning his cloak and lightsaber Kel cracked open his inn room window. Outside the old man and the other villagers were being rounded up by soldiers in red. Kel could guess that these men were soldiers of the Fire Nation, which Honaku told him about when he was under his influence. Soldiers of the Fire Nation, whose goal was to exterminate the other nations. Even though Kel was a sith even he was appalled by the Fire Nation's paper thin reasoning. Why he did understand the nation's want to rule the world, as men naturally want power, the slaughtering of villagers and of nations captured peoples for no reason completely went against his values. While killing wasn't a prospect that bothered him on his missions, he always killed for a reason: he killed for the mission, or for spreading fear, as fear was a core tool used by the sith. But killing for what seemed to be no apparent reason made no sense, and only served to make him angry.

" Sir! These two were the only benders that we could find, what should we do with them? " Two Fire Nation soldiers asked as they drug the unconscious bodies of Mu and Gimin behind them.

" Throw them in with the others, " ordered their superior, who was a large man with a moderately sized mustache. The two brothers were then tossed towards the center of the courtyard, where the rest of the villagers were rounded up. " Is this really the best the Earth Kingdom's got to defend their villages? If that's the case then Ba Sing Se was just begging to fall. " The captain boasted with a large smile.

" Sir, that's all the villagers we could find. Shall we begin? " Asked one of his subordinates, the man only grinned and turned towards the frightened villagers.

" Begin, remember no survivors. On my mark! " The captain raised his hand.

" Mu! Gimin! Wake up boys we could really use some of that bending now! " Honaku yelled at his unconscious sons. But he was too late, as the captain smiled and lowered his hand.

" Fire! " At his words Honaku closed his eyes and waited for the end, but the end never came. Looking up, Honaku's eyes widened when he saw what was happening: The Fire Nation soldiers had all shot a ball of flames at them, but, almost as if time had stopped; the fireballs were frozen in midair. The soldiers were just as confused, some punching the air once again to try to force their balls of fire forward.

" What the hell? I thought I told you idiots to incinerate them! " The captain yelled at his subordinates.

" We're trying sir! But the fire, it won't move! "

" Are you saying you can't bend fire soldier, cause I'll be happy to provide you all with a demonstration if you don't hurry up! " The captain yelled at the soldiers.

" But sir we- "

 _Slash~_

" Do you mind shutting up, your all so loud. " The Fire Nation soldiers and captain all turned to look at the source of the voice, there, near the left flank of their formation stood a hooded figure; who was holding what looked to be a blade of red fire. Said blade was currently residing in the neck of one of their soldiers, it's heat causing the skin around it to bubble. The hooded figure then retracted the blade, and the soldier fell to the ground dead. The Fire Nation captain only chuckled and turned to the other soldiers.

" Well it looks like there is someone here that can fight, show him what for! " With that the captain, along with his soldiers all shot a second round of fire at the hooded figure. But instead of dodging, the hooded figure merely lifted up his hand.

" Did you not see what happened last time? " The hooded figure asked as, just like before, the fireballs stopped dead in their tracks as if frozen in time.

" Tch! Are you a rouge fire bender! " The captain yelled at the hooded figure.

" Who I am is no concern of a dead man. " With that, the hooded figure twirled his finger and, now under his command, the fire balls turned towards the Fire Nation soldiers. The hooded figure gave a motion similar to a one-handed push, and all the fire balls unfroze and shot back towards their masters.

" Men! Return fire! " Was all the captain said as he, along with the Fire Nation soldiers shot a new wave of fire balls intersecting the ones fired at them. However, when the smoke cleared the hooded figure was no where to be seen.

" Ugh, where did he go! " The captain yelled at his soldiers, the answer came in the form of two Fire Nation soldiers who shot forward into a stone wall. Turning around the captain found that the source of the wind was none other than the hooded figure. But, for such a thing to be possible meant that.

" Was that air bending? " One of the soldiers asked another in worry.

" No it can't be. I thought the avatar was a bald monk. " Said another.

" But I thought the avatar was down further north how could he be her- " The soldier did not even get a chance to continue, as the stone street came up and closed around him.

" Did you forget I was here? " The group once again turned to the hooded figure to find his hand was lifted up and was pinching the air. " Never take your eyes off of your enemy or, " the hooded figure brought his finger tips together " you'll be facing your grave. " The earth around the soldier then closed completely and dragged the corpse back under the street. " I'm not that happy that you woke me up so early in the morning, so... " the hooded figure switched on his sword of fire and raised up his left arm. Suddenly, water from all around began to float over their heads, and everyone watched in horror as a veritable lake of water was now floating over the hooded figure. The hooded figure then clenched his raised hand and the mass of water over him began to flow into the center, compressing itself into what seemed to be a small raindrop. Raising up his sword of fire the hooded figure brought its blade and the water together. His work finished, the figure turned to the dumbstruck soldiers and captain and glared at them all. " So... die horribly, " with that the figure tossed the sizzling raindrop of water towards the group of soldiers, freshly heated from his blade of fire. The figure then opened up his clenched hand and the small raindrop once again became a lake of boiling hot water. The captain could only watch on as all of his men were blown away by the tsunami of bubbling water, it was so fast he didn't even hear a scream. Still gawking, the man turned towards the hooded figure only to find he had once again disappeared.

" Where did- " All the captain saw was a blade of light as it stabbed through his neck.

* * *

" Be silent you piece of garbage, " Kel whispered as he turned off his lightsaber. The captain only stuttered for a second or two before falling to the ground, now a corpse for the vultures to feed on.

" Way to go boy! did you get all of them? While I have to say I'm surprised how brutal you can be, I thought the avatar was a man of peace but whatever. You saved all of us! Why don't I get you a- " Honaku said as he walked up to Kel; however, he didn't get to walk any further. As Kel had drawn his lightsaber and was holding the blade inches from his face.

" Follow me and you can expect a similar fate as these soldiers. " Honaku, nor any of the other villagers spoke up, as they could feel the killing intent radiating off him, Honaku only nodded, and with that. Kel turned around and left the village without looking back. It's a big world, and the more information he had, the better his chances of surviving were. However, he couldn't deny what Honaku had done for him, so, without a glance to what lay behind him. All Kel muttered was: " May the force be with you, Honaku. "

* * *

 **Whew! First chapter done! Well anyway R and R, and I will see you on the next chapter of: A Wandering Shadow.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey I'm back finally, sorry if you were waiting for a long ass time. I was too busy working on my other crossover, but hey I'm back now, the writers block is gone and I'm ready to continue. The only thing is, are you guys ready?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or ATLA blah blah blah.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Confusion, Infiltration, Decimation  
**

Toph sneezed into the clouds as she and the rest of team avatar flew through the clouds above. The white puffs flying past them as they rode atop Aang's flying bison. Toph reached out into the blackness that she assumed was the sky and felt the cool water vapor rush against her skin. Sadly not even the thrill of flying could wade off her appetite, which let itself be known by the constant grumbling of her stomach.

" Geeze Toph, is there no way for you to quiet that monster? " Sokka moaned as he lay limp against the left side of Appa's saddle.

" You aren't sounding much better smart guy. " Toph said as a grumble erupted forth from Sokka's stomach.

" As I am a man and a warrior I require proper subsistence. "

" Then you must be the laziest warrior I've ever seen Sokka, cause you haven't moved from that spot in ages. " Katara said from her makeshift bed, her stomach growling just as loudly.

" I'm sorry guys I promise we'll stop for food when we get to the next village. " Aang told them as he sat atop Appa's head. Even the giant sky bison was beginning to feel the hunger pains, as Appa had slowed down considerably. " Come on buddy just a bit further. " Aang mumbled as Appa inched his way through the next bunch of clouds. Thankfully though it seemed that luck was on their side; as when they exited the clouds a small port town came into view on the horizon.

" Do my eyes deceive me? Or are we saved? " Sokka said as he clambered up next to Aang. Katara got up at her brother's sudden movement.

" Did you find a town Aang? " She asked as she took her spot atop Appa's head.

" Yeah, thanks buddy for getting us this far. I promise we'll get you something to eat. " Aang said as he patted Appa's head. Appa let out a grunt and began it's decent towards the outskirts of the town. The second they landed Toph jumped up and bolted off of the sky bison; almost hugging the earth when her feet landed on the grassy plain.

" Finally! Sweet, sweet ground! " Toph yelled out as she cracked her knuckles. The rest of team avatar soon followed suit, and it wasn't long before all of them were laying in the grass. Glad to be back down to earth level.

" Now then, shall we go get something to eat? " Sokka said as he bolted up and began to run towards the town.

" Hey Sokka wait up! " Katara yelled.

" It's no use Katara, when it comes to food Sokka wont stop for anything. " Aang said as he watched Katara's brother trip on a vine.

" Well Twinkletoes, are you going into the town or are the two of you just going to stand there? " Toph asked as she walked past Aang and Katara towards the town. Toph was answered by the sound of two grumbling stomachs, Aang and Katara giggled and followed Toph towards Sokka.

" Oh Aang, you might need this. " Katara said as she pulled out a simple hat from her bag.

" Why? We are in the Earth Nation are we not? " Aang wondered as he slipped it over his bald head.

" Well there have been reports of some Fire Nation soldiers near here; just keep it on, its better to be safe than sorry. " Aang nodded at her words and walked up to the fallen Sokka.

" Why'd there have to be a vine there? " Sokka mumbled as he rubbed his bruised back.

" It's your fault for charging on ahead of the group. " Aang laughed out and offered Sokka a hand, which he gladly took. After dusting himself off Sokka perked up and jogged into the town, Aang and the others hot on his heels. However, when they got to the town square they all stopped dead in their tracks. As the town square was completely empty.

" Hello! Anybody in there? We'd like to buy some supplies! " Katara yelled into a nearby merchant stand, only to be met with silence. " Where do you think they could've gone to? " Katara asked them.

" I'm not sure... maybe they- hey Sokka! What are you doing?! " Aang yelled at his friend who was carrying a now full bag of supplies.

" Don't worry guys I left money on the counter. But seriously though, where is everyone? " Sokka said as he tossed the three of them an apple. The four of them sat there thinking for a few minutes before Katara snapped her fingers.

" I got it, Aang, use your glider and see if you can find anyone. " Aang nodded and soon he was flying high above the village.

" Do you see anyone Aang! " Katara yelled.

" No, wait, I found them! " Aang yelled back at her before landing the glider in front of his friends.

" Well Aang, where is everybody? " Aang turned and pointed north at Katara's words.

" They're all gathered at a small building just beyond the square; I couldn't really get a good look, but it looks like an Earth Kingdom post office. " Everyone's eyebrows rose at Aang's news.

" Something big must have happened. " Toph mumbled with her eyes closed, the crowd was quite antsy, and their movements were quick and sudden.

" Well what are we doing just standing around here for? Let's go find out what's happening! " Sokka yelled as he jogged out of the town's square. Toph and Katara soon followed him; however, Aang couldn't help but stare at the many deserted houses. The air was still and felt almost sickly.

" Aang! Come on! Toph and my brother have already gone on ahead! " Katara yelled.

" I'm coming! " Aang yelled before jogging back towards Katara. From ground level Aang could now clearly see the post station. It was utter chaos, every family was huddled around a copy, their eyes scanning over every inch of the cheap parchment. Soon after Aang saw Toph and Sokka claw their way out of the crowd.

" Aang! Katara! You guys need to see this! " Sokka yelled out as he ran towards them, a paper in hand.

" What? What's wrong Sokka? What does it say? " Katara asked her brother as he caught his breath. Sokka didn't say anything and just lifted up the parchment for her and Aang to see.

" I already told Toph, but just read it. " Sokka wheezed out. Katara was the first one to grab the parchment; she and Aang gasped as she read the headline out loud.

* * *

" Brutal slaughter in Tiben village? The Avatar brutally massacres a platoon of fire nation soldiers? "

" That doesn't sound like the one we're hunting at all, Azula. "

" True, but there aren't that many people who can bend all of the elements. Maybe the Avatar finally realized that being a missionary of peace doesn't pay. "

" Or this story is completely false. "

" I thought about that too, Mai, but sadly my father wants to be absolutely certain. " Azula said as she tapped a finger on the wooden floor of her transport.

" Princess, we are approaching Tiben village! " A soldier told them from the outside. At his words Ty Lee jumped up and clambered up on top of Azula's transport.

" Oooh, what a pretty little town. " Ty Lee mumbled out as she stared at the small mountain village. The convoy passed multiple tall trees as they entered the village. Though it was quiet and beautiful, the rosy sun which stained the sky above ran red with blood. Soon the convoy arrived in the square, all of the villagers were round up in the center of the square. All of their faces were pale, there was no doubt that each of them were filled with dread at the sight of the royal transport. Azula turned to her soldiers as she stepped down from her transport.

" Have you found the village's leader yet? " Azula asked.

" Yes Princess. " The soldiers bowed and brought forth an old man, no doubt terrified for the lives of him and his people.

" I'm sure you know why we're here? " Azula asked the man.

" Yes, you're here for the Avatar are you not? "

" Well yes, and a bit of information. "

" Information? " The man wondered. " What information could we possibly have? " Azula smirked at the man's words and scanned over the rest of the villagers.

" Well I know that the Avatar has skipped town already, all I want from you is a brief description; and if you could point us in the right direction that would be great. " When the man didn't respond Azula sighed and snapped her fingers. Immediately all of the soldiers summoned a ball of flame and pointed it towards the citizens of Tiben village.

" Wait stop! What are you doing?! " Azula just rested her chin on the back of her hand at the village leader's words.

" Let me get this straight, I'm not asking, I'm ordering you to give me the information. But if you don't want to cooperate I cant guarantee the safety of your villagers. "

" Alright! Alright! I'll talk! Just don't hurt anyone. " The man begged.

" Well I'm listening. " Azula said, the man was hesitant for a moment but soon opened up. It was amazing how a person just needed a little push before they'd spill out their darkest secrets. Luckily this man was no different; however, the information he did have was... odd... to say the least. " The Avatar wore a black robe? "

" Yes! I was on the other side of the village when your soldiers attacked, so I didn't really get a good look at him. But I'm positive that he wore a black robe! " Azula scratched her chin at the man's description.

" And you're sure that he was alone? "

" Yes! I know that for a fact! One of my citizens told me that he ran into him two days ago in his rice patch. Even then the boy was alone. " Azula continued to scratch her chin, she would have to think this over.

" Okay then I think we're done here. " Azula said as she turned to Ty Lee and Mai.

" Princess, what should we do about the villagers? " A soldier asked her, Azula just shrugged and waved him off.

" Let them go, we have the information we need and they aren't worth the effort. " The man nodded at her words and ordered the other soldiers to pack up. Soon Azula, Ty Lee and Mai were all once again sitting in Azula's transport.

" You're pretty merciful aren't you Azula? " Ty Lee said as she watched the mountains pass her by.

" I try to be when I can. "

" The information that man gave was odd, not only did the Avatar look completely different. But he's apparently moving alone and in the exact opposite direction he should be. " Mai said as she sharpened one of her knives.

" That's true Mai, but what worries me is how the Avatar dispatched our troops. That one isn't known for brutal killings. " Azula said, her finger still tapping the hard wooden floor of her transport.

" I'd say he was a completely different person but that's impossible. " Ty Lee said as she hopped back down into her seat.

" There can only be one avatar. " Mai mumbled out, silence soon took over the cabin as each of them were enthralled in their own thoughts. It didn't take long before night fell, and soon the only light they could see were the small flickers of the soldiers bending outside.

" Princess, do you think we should set up camp? " An officer asked from outside the cabin. " The Avatar couldn't have gotten far in two days with this mountain range, and honestly neither can we. "

Azula just nodded and rubbed her temples, things were getting more and more complicated by the second. The trees stretched for the blue sky above, almost as if they were trying to grab the stars. What little red and orange left was far into the horizon, but the small licks of that horizon's flames gave them just enough light to find a place to rest. Said resting spot was a parting in the mountains, a small flat forest stuffed between the bases of two ginormous piles of stone and grass. Azula's convoy ended up in a small clearing next to a ginormous oak tree; its roots wrapping around many of the smaller trees on the edge of the clearing.

" Wow~ What a beautiful view! " Ty Lee said as she stared out at the mountainous range below them. The sun had finally decided to dip over the horizon; making way for the moon which now hung high in that dark sea of stars. It wasn't long before the soldiers set up a few campfires and their tents. Azula's lay at the base of the giant tree, overlooking the entire clearing.

" Ty Lee, would you please come inside? " Azula asked her. Ty Lee nodded and skipped into Azula's tent. Besides her, Azula and Mai a few ranking officers also filled the tent, everyone was gathered around a small table which had a map of the entire area splayed across it.

" Princess, he might have gone down this north pass towards Ba Sing Se. "

" No, if the avatar was headed for the capital then he wouldn't be here in the first place. What do you two think? " Azula said as she turned her head to Mai and Ty Lee.

" You're overthinking this, he can't get very far without his flying bison. " Mai mumbled out as she yawned into her left sleeve.

" Hmmm... If I were the avatar what would I do? " Ty Lee wondered out loud as Azula pinched the bridge of her nose.

" Go order the soldiers to patrol the woods, we can never be too careful. "

" As you wish Princess, " the officer said. Giving her a quick bow before running off to tell his soldiers. Azula sighed and turned her attention back to the map.

" Is something wrong Azula? " Ty Lee asked as she skipped up to her. Mai soon joined the two staring at the map and both of them watched as they saw Azula's eyes wander towards the north.

" You still don't think we're chasing the real avatar do you? " Mai said as she placed her finger on the map where Azula was staring.

" No I don't, sadly I don't put much stock in the words of the enemy. " Azula told the them, and she really didn't. She needed to chase the avatar, but now do to an earth kingdom rumor here she was. Chasing after a cloaked figure who didn't bear any resemblance to the one they were chasing.

" Do you think we should turn around? " Ty Lee asked her.

" Not yet, it would harm our image if we went against the words of my father. But all we are hunting is a man in a black cloak, and the only proof we have that the man is the avatar are the words of a small town of paranoid earth kingdom citizens. We'll scour the mountain pass and if we find nothing I'll send a message to my father. "

" Well then, if you're that ready to leave maybe we should join the search too. After all this area is quite a sight, it'd be a shame if we just leave without seeing any of it. " Ty Lee said as she toyed with the map's copper compass.

" I might as well come with you two then, a hunt's no fun when your by yourself. " Azula said as she looked up from the map. She came all the way out here, might as well catch the prey she was sent for. Avatar or not.

* * *

" I might as well come with you two then... "

Kel looked down at the large tent below at those words. He had been listening in to the princess's little meeting for quite some time now; and with every word he couldn't help but feel even more agitated.

" I've grown too soft, I should have killed everyone in that village. " Kel mumbled to himself from atop the giant oak tree. Thanks to his carelessness he now had an entire platoon on his tail, thank the force he'd managed to sense them all before they got to the clearing.

" Ugh... this will be a pain if I don't stop this search here. " Kel mumbled as he stared into the unfamiliar night sky. Living on the run was something he grew accustomed to as a sith, but then he'd have a jedi or two to look forward to. But here it felt akin to being chased down by a swarm of flies. " Still though... what an familiar swarm it is. " Kel said as he stared at the beautifully made tents and weapons. Even though he was appalled by the fire nation's useless killings, the young sith lord would be lying to himself if he said that he'd feel more at home on the other side. After all, he'd participated in quite a few massacres during his training with Dooku; and as a sith he had a natural lust for power, and it appeared the fire nation harbored similar feelings for the concept. While there would be perks on the other side of this world's war, he couldn't help but relish the idea of fighting the world's strongest: The avatar. Plus, the fire nation seemed to know their way around this world and that was information he desperately needed.

" Princess Azula has commanded us to search the woods men, remember to report anybody you find wearing a black cloak! " Yelled one of the officers. Kel's eyes wandered down to his sith garment before moving back towards the patrolling soldiers, a large grin surfaced onto his face. Quickly, he folded up his sith robe and slipped it into a pocket in his grey gi. His golden eyes pierced the night, almost as if he were a hawk scanning for prey. Specifically he was searching for the presence of another group of soldiers. These ones baring the mantel of the Earth Nation, honestly he was quite impressed with the finesse of the earth benders. It wouldn't be long before the Princess and her compatriots were caught in an ambush.

" It seems like it is time for me to introduce myself. " The stars twinkled in the sky above, almost as if they were stage lights shining upon the balcony that was this world. Quiet as a snake, the young sith lord hopped off of the giant oak tree and into the forest below. It was time to go to work.

* * *

Ty Lee yawned as she walked through the dense forest. The flames of Azula's soldiers flickered all around her, lighting up the shadowy trees and thickets as their party walked along the dense brush. Little critters scurried about in the cracks of the mountain rock, and with every step the shadows seemed to get larger and larger.

" Ugh... Why do I feel like we're in for a long night? " Mai sighed as she pushed a branch out of her way. The jagged rocks of the mountains protruded from every crack of the trees long finger-like roots. However, even though the scenery was beautiful under the moonlight. The quiet and dark night weighed upon the three almost as if some transcendental entity stared down at them from above, and none of them could shake the odd sense of foreboding that now washed over their being. Luckily the crushing silence was broken for a moment when Ty Lee burst out into a fit of girlish giggles.

" Awww~ the creatures up here are adorable! " She squeaked as she stared at two squirrel-like creatures nibble on some chestnuts. Mai and Azula just rolled their eyes and continued on searching the forest. Shadows flickered every which way with the flames of the others permeating the dark woods. Soon, the forest was completely alight, almost as if daylight had came early. Though even with the light one couldn't say that the search was going any better. Azula's left eyebrow twitched as she burned a leaf to ash in her hands, it was nearly midnight and none of her soldiers had found anything useful yet. Honestly she would have just burnt the entire forest down if it wasn't for their camp in the middle of it. Azula sighed and rubbed the dark circles under her eyes, she'd have to call it a night soon. Mai and Ty Lee were in a similar condition, Ty Lee looked like she was about to fall over, Azula yawned and turned around; after all, a princess needed her beauty sleep.

" Come on Mai, Ty Lee, we're heading back to the camp. " Azula told the two and waved a hand to the soldiers. Soon they were all marching back to camp, much to the joy of the three girls.

" Well this is disappointing! We looked all night and we couldn't find a thing! Maybe the villagers gave us false information. " Ty Lee said as she skipped in front of the group.

" Honestly it wouldn't surprise me in the least, I knew this lead was flimsy. Odds are whoever killed those soldiers was just a renegade group of benders. Those villagers were probably too busy being paralyzed with fear to notice the other benders. " Azula said as she cracked her fingers.

"..."

" What was that? " Mai said as she turned her head towards the direction of their camp. A mysterious noise whistled through the mountain pass, sadly, the source was too far away for any of them to deduce what it was.

" It was probably just some animal, we'll ask the guards when we get back. " Azula told them with her eyes fixed on the horizon. The march back to the camp was mostly silent after that, save Ty Lee's occasional quip, it was only as their group finally approached the clearing did they notice the shouting.

" Get him on his knees! " A soldier's voice rang from the center of the clearing. Azula quickly ran up to the mass of soldiers to find them forcing a boy down to his knees. The boy looked to be about her age, and was wearing a slightly tattered grey gi.

" Commander, do you mind telling me who this boy is? " Azula asked the commanding officer. At her words the man quickly turned to her and bowed.

" Princess Azula, we found this boy wandering near the base of the giant tree. It took us a while to catch him but we believe he might be an earth nation spy from the village. " The man said from his place on the ground, Azula rolled her eyes and told the man to stand up. Quickly scanning the boy over Azula turned back to the commander.

" Have you searched him yet? If he really is a spy then he'd have ink and parchment for a carrier raven. "

" Uh, no we haven't yet Princess, we were just about to search him right before you returned. "

" Then what do you think you should be doing? " Azula said as she stared at the men and his soldiers. Thankfully they all got the message and the commander shot next to his men.

" Men! Hurry up and search the boy! If he has something incriminating we might be able to get some useful information out of him! " The commander said, the soldiers nodded and soon went to work. Azula, Ty Lee and Mai watched as the soldiers began to pat the boy down. Each of them were ready to strike at a moment's notice, after all when dealing with the enemy one can never be too careful.

* * *

Kel struggled to keep his temper under check as the soldiers began to check his pockets. If this were a normal situation he would have slashed them all to pieces by now, but sadly that wasn't an option. When it came to infiltrating a faction in this manner, one had to take care not to seem suspicious. But that didn't make the process any less infuriating.

" Nothing here... Okay keep him steady. " A soldier said as he reached into the inside of Kel's gi. " Nothing here, or here, maybe if I- " The soldier suddenly stopped when his hands landed upon something cold and metallic, taking a closer look the soldier found an odd cylindrical mechanism; and to the left was what looked to be a folded up pitch black cloak. The soldier froze when he happened upon that little article. " Uh Sir... " The soldier mumbled, his eyes still glued to the cloak.

" Yes soldier, did you find something? " The soldier's hand trembled slightly as he got up from his position. However, before he could say a word something odd happened. The soldier could almost feel a type of force luring him back to the boy, and as the soldier's eyes wandered back to the boy's face. All he found was two golden eyes staring back at him.

 _" Shhh... "_ The man froze for a second as those words surfaced in his mind. Suddenly it seemed like an eraser had scrubbed through his memories, and it wasn't long before the man found himself in a daze.

" Soldier! Did you find anything? " The commanding officer yelled at the man. At his commander's words the soldier snapped out of his trance and turned back to face his commander.

" No Sir, nothing, all the boy has on him are the clothes he's wearing. " The soldier said with a slight bow. But for some reason he just couldn't shake the feeling that he'd forgotten something. Kel smiled as he watched the intruding soldier step away. The mind trick also came in handy in situations like this, now he could finally move onto the next step. Quickly Kel reached out with the force and probed the nearby mountains for life signs. The earth benders were drawing near, he would have to be fast.

" Princess, what should we do? He doesn't seem to be dangerous. " The commander asked Azula.

" You could start with letting me go. " The boy said, the commander was about to smack to boy for his rudeness but Azula raised a hand to stop him.

" Please commander we aren't barbarians. Now then how about some questions, let's start with a name. " Azula asked the boy with narrowed eyes.

" Kel, what's yours? " The boy, Kel, asked her. At this question Azula's, and quite a few others, eyebrows rose. There weren't that many people who didn't know her name. After all, as royalty of the Fire Nation her name was common knowledge.

" Why you insolent! She's- " A commander started, only to be silenced by Azula's risen palm.

" I'm Azula, princess of the Fire Nation; these two are my friends Ty Lee and Mai. So now that you know our names why don't you tell us what you're doing all the way up here. " Kel grinned at these words, she took the bait all that was left was to reel her in.

" If you must know I'm a bender. Me and my master live and train together up here. "

" Do you mind telling us where this 'master' of yours is. " Azula said, Kel only pointed towards the giant tree overlooking the clearing.

" He passed away a few months back, neither of us really went down to ground level that often, so forgive me if I seem a bit confused. This is my first time seeing other people up here in a while. " Kel said as he secretly scanned over Azula's and the soldiers formation.

" You didn't happen to see a man with a black cloak run through did you? " Azula asked Kel as she walked over to a nearby stump to sit on. Azula sighed when she saw him shake his head.

" Well that sucks, he must have already gotten off of the mountain. Do you think we should pursue, Azula? " Ty Lee asked her as she hung from a large branch.

" No, at this point I'm certain that the one we're chasing isn't the avatar. None of the descriptions match his profile, and if wanted to leave this mountain he would've used that flying bison of his. " Azula said as she tapped her chin, after pondering for a few minutes she turned back to the boy, still pinned down by her soldiers. " You said you were practicing bending with your master. What element would that happen to be? "

" Fire if you must know, " Kel answered her instantly.

" Oh, fire you say? Interesting... " Azula mumbled as she went back to tapping her chin. The stars twinkled above in the dark night sky and with every twinkle it seemed like Kel's golden eyes got a little bit brighter.

 _" It seems like they're almost ready. "_ Kel thought to himself as he watched the Earth Nation soldiers set up a position on the cliffside above. There were about fifty of them in total, a good number considering that Azula only had about twenty five soldiers at hand. Now was the time for him to shine.

" Those guys friends of yours? " Kel asked Azula from his position on the ground.

" Guys? "

" Up there, " Kel said as he pointed to the cliffside above. With a raised eyebrow Azula looked up towards where he was pointing and she did so just at the right time. As she only just managed to dodge the rock that was about to come falling down on her head.

" Tch! It's the Earth Nation! Prepare for battle men! " The commander yelled as he and his soldiers dived behind cover, thankfully that meant that Kel could finally move again. Soon an entire volley of rocks shot down from the mountain side, almost as if they were stuck in an avalanche.

" Azula they're too far away to hit with my knives! " Mai yelled as she downed a few rocks heading in her direction. Azula was also busy shooting down the near endless barrage of rocks with her blue flame. Much to her anger she never had enough time to shoot off some lightning, as with every rock she shot down three more popped up in its place. Ty Lee was also tied up in the rock storm, and since she was useless at range could only dodge and weave in between the endless barrage.

" Commander why aren't your men shooting them down?! " Azula yelled at the man, who was busy cowering behind the debris of what was once his tent.

" Most of my men have already been downed Princess, none of us can peek our heads out without a rock getting shot at it! " At his words Azula's eyebrow twitched, sometimes you really can't trust anybody but yourself. Her anger was magnified by the cheers of the Earth Nation soldiers above, already they seemed like they knew they would win this fight.

" Keep up the barrage men! We almost got them all! Soon the Fire Nation will be down a princess! " Their commander yelled from high above. The organic _thunks_ of rocks hitting her soldiers heads could be heard from all around her; and it wasn't long before the barrage focused squarely on her, Ty Lee and Mai.

" Jeez! What a time to be caught in an ambush! " Ty Lee mumbled from her position behind a rock, glancing over she saw Azula and Mai doing their best to shoot down every rock. " Azula and Mai are really giving it their all out there. " She thought as the sky had turned almost entirely into a sea of rocks, knives and fire. Sadly they were at a stalemate and it wouldn't be long before Azula and Mai reached their limit. Ty Lee bit her thumb as she tried to think of a way to down the enemy soldiers, but sadly they just had the better position. There was no way she could get to them without taking some hits. _" Ugh, what should we do? "_

" Need some help? " Ty Lee was broken out of her thoughts by the voice of their recent captive. Looking up Ty Lee found the boy known as Kel sitting on top of a tree with his chin resting on his knee. When she didn't respond Kel sighed and hopped down in front of her. " I told you that I can fire bend, I can help out if you ask. " The boy said.

" How can you help? I'm not sure if you missed the fifty unconscious fire benders on your way over here, but one more wouldn't really change anything. " Ty Lee said as she lowered her head behind cover to dodge another rock.

" Are you sure? That princess and, Mai was it? Seem to be having a pretty hard time. " Kel said as he stared at the two girls with uncaring eyes. Ty Lee, too busy dodging rocks didn't seem to notice his odd gaze.

" Go ahead if you want to, I'm just warning you though. If you jump in there you probably won't come out unscathed. " Kel smiled at her words and began to walk towards where Azula and Mai were fighting. After dodging a few rocks Kel was soon standing next to Azula and Mai, both of whom seemed to be at death's door.

" Hey princess! " Kel yelled.

" Why are you here! " Azula yelled as she shot down another batch of marble bullets.

" I'm here to help, " Kel said as he walked in front of the two girls.

" Sorry but I don't think another fire bender will be much help. " Azula told him as she finally managed to shoot a bolt of lightning towards the soldiers above. Thankfully it seemed to grant them a few seconds rest as the rocks stopped flying for a few seconds.

" That's exactly what your friend told me, but honestly you need all the help you can get, plus I still have a question that I need to ask. " Azula twinged as she pulled a small piece of rock out of one of her many cuts and bruises.

" I'll answer any question you have if you could get us out of this. " Azula said as she shot another bolt of lightning at the head of a peeking Earth Nation soldier. Kel grinned at that and walked forward, much to the confusion of Azula and Mai.

" I'll hold you to that promise then princess, " Kel said as he opened his right hand, if one looked closely he could see several small arcs of electricity sparkling in between his fingertips. Kel cracked his knuckles as he walked forward, this move was something he was working on for a while. A replacement if you will, after all he obviously couldn't use his lightsaber without drawing some unwanted attention from the princess. Which meant he'd have to improvise.

" Well are you going to do something or are you just going to stand there? " Azula griped as she continued to fire flames at the soldiers above. Instead of answering Kel just lifted his sparking right hand and summoned a torrent of force lightning. But instead of shooting it towards the enemy, Kel used the force to focus the lightning into a blade of energy.

" Ah good it works, " Kel mumbled to himself as he gave his new sword a few practice swings. It definitely wouldn't last as long as a regular lightsaber, or be nearly as reliable; but he hoped this blade of lightning would more than make up for it in sheer power.

" Wha-? " Kel smiled as he heard the combined voices of Azula, Mai, Ty Lee and the soldiers above. That was something he loved about being a sith, the surprise on an enemy's face when they realize who they are dealing with. Grinning to his ears Kel looked up at the soldiers above, all of whom were now focused on his new blade. But not for long as their commander soon started up his attack with a whole new barrage of rocks, fear of the unknown always did have a knack at snapping a man into action. As the rocks began to fall down from above Kel smiled and poured more power into his blade.

" Fall. " With that word Kel raised up his blade of lightning and forced it into the mountain, he released his grip on the tip of the sword causing a massive blade of lightning that shot through the entire base of the cliffside. With a feral grin as wide as possible, Kel sent his blade through the entire base of the cliff; the lightning melted every inch of the rock. Cutting smoothly until the cliffside was completely detached from the mountain. One could almost hear the sound of dropping jaws as Ty Lee, the Fire Nation and Earth Nation soldiers, and even Mai and Azula watched as the cliffside began to fall off the mountain. The screams of the soldiers drowned out by the sound of a mountain-sized cliff falling off into the abyss below. Soon the clearing went dead silent, and the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of Kel's lightning sword; and that to went silent after a few more seconds.

" Did he just cut the mountain in half? " Whispered several now conscious soldiers. The edges of the freshly-cut cliff were still glowing orange, the earth still molten from the severe heat of the lightning. Even Azula was dead silent as Kel walked up to her, only to be broken out of her shock by the sound of his snapping fingers.

" Hello~ Princess? You promised that if I helped you, you would answer one of my questions. "

" Oh that... Yeah... Ask away... " Azula mumbled as she stared at the mountain-sized cut.

" Do you mind if I join you and your little band? " His words took a few seconds to sink in but it wasn't long before everyone's jaws once again found themselves reacquainted with the ground.

" What?! "

* * *

 **Three hours later**

" Princess do you honestly think it's safe to allow a monster like him to journey with us? " A commander asked Azula as he trotted up next to her personal transport.

" We can't allow someone like him to fall into enemy hands commander, I'm sure you understand that right? " Azula said as she took a sip of tea.

" Yes but... "

" As I see it all he wants is to explore the world, and he's agreed to help us with the hunt for the avatar if we take him with us. Don't you think this is an advantageous situation commander? " Azula said as her eyes moved to the back of their little caravan where Kel was walking next to the supply cart. No matter how much Ty Lee seemed to badger him the boy would not accept the offer to ride in Azula's transport.

" I'm just saying we should keep an eye on him Princess, someone so powerful shouldn't be taken lightly. " The commander said.

" True, but at the same time we can't let him think that we're watching him. After all the last thing we want to do is sow the seeds of distrust in someone like him. " The commander nodded at her words and returned to his position near the front. The sun soon spilled out into the transport, casting long shadows over the tall rocks of the valley.

" Have the scouts already sent the news to your father? " Mai asked Azula as the passed over a bridge.

" Yes they have, my father should have the message in hand by sundown. " Azula said as she watched a hawk fly through the sky. Almost as if its wings were cutting the very light of the horizon.

" You know he looks pretty cute in the morning sun. " Ty Lee giggled out as she stared at the boy, Azula and Mai just rolled their eyes at Ty Lee's comments. But while the sun did project Kel in a beautiful light, it did manage to block his golden eyes in shadow. Which were glowing like the eyes of a bloodthirsty predator, and this world was his prey. Kel yawned and fixed his golden gaze on the blood-red horizon which shone over the green forests below.

 _" This world is a beautiful one, I can't wait to see it shrouded in darkness. "_

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **Oh f #$ing yes! I finally found the time to write the next chapter for this bitch! I am sooooooo sorry for the long ass wait guys. But I was too busy being tied up with my other crossover (Plus writers block doesn't help at all). Anyway I promise that I'll get the next chapter out NOT a half year from now. I'm going to be working on the next chapter for my other crossover next which should be out late August. So expect the next chapter soon after that!**

 **Anyway damn I love writing anti heroes! They're so fun to write, anyway guys thanks a bunch for the support and I'll promise I'll get the next chapter out sooner!**

 **P.S Feel free to ask me questions in the reviews! I'll do my best to answer them at the beginning of the next chapter.**

 **Next chapter: A Waltz Through the Bloody Horizon**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the almost two year wait. I was focusing on my other story. Don't really have much to say besides I'm back, and this time on a regular basis. Here's how the schedule will work:**

 **Every first week of the month: The Wandering Shadow**

 **Every second week: Beacon's Exorcist (My other fanfic)**

 **Again sorry for the wait; however, now I do have a schedule, and time to write. So here we go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: A Waltz Through the Bloody Horizon  
**

Kel yawned as he turned over a hot coal in the fire. The flames whistled, churned and hissed at every hint of movement. The light danced from this single and small flame onto the skeleton of a town, a town that once was a bustling village. Sad to say this village harbored anti-fire nation insurgents, and had to be burned to the ground. Foreign stars twinkled in the dark sky above as Kel smiled. In a way this was liberating, being completely cut off from his old society that is. It honestly amazed him how the sky could have so many stars, yet be completely useless as a light source down below. Besides his little fire the town was completely covered in shadow. What few licks of color he could see was just the gray dust of ash against what used to be houses. _I wonder... how long did these take to build?_ Kel thought to himself as he scoured over the dusty remains of the burned buildings. The villagers had long since left, they abandoned their houses and possessions long before they got here; however, it was still interesting to him. The plight of man to create, and to have more than they already did. Sadly Kel would not get much time to ponder philosophy. After all, with a watch partner as loud as his, who would even have the capacity for rational thought?

"Kel come here and look at what I found!" His partner yelled. Kel sighed quietly and rolled his eyes. Luckily, no one could see him glare at the girl in the pitch blackness of that village. "Hurry up!" She yelled again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Kel said as he walked up to the girl, if his memory served him right her name was Ty Lee. Azula's acrobatic partner and bodyguard was currently sitting right in the middle of a pile of ash. She was covered in muck and grime; however, in her hand she held a small rock that glimmered the way only a jewel would. "Where in the world did you find that?" He asked her. Ty Lee smiled as she pulled herself out of that pile of muck, and pointed towards one of the larger ruined buildings. It was probably the village chief's house, at least that's what he thought.

"What do you think Kel?" Ty Lee said as she slipped the jeweled pin into her hair. In a way she almost looked charming, the beautiful piece of jewelry almost offset the ugliness of the mud caked onto her hair.

"It looks amazing on you Ty Lee. Although, you should probably go wash off in the stream." Kel swore he saw Ty Lee blush a little; however, with only a small fire as their light source, he couldn't be certain. A few minutes later he was finally granted sweet release from that small fire. There were few times he liked seeing guards, this was one of those times. When Kel finally arrived at his small tent, he yawned and pulled something out from under his bedding. Thank the force the fire nation soldiers weren't nosy, or they would have found his black cloak. "What am I going to do with this?" Kel wondered as he slipped his hands through the black fabric.

"Has anyone found a black cloak yet? Who knows the avatar might have died in the fire." One of the patrols yelled. Kel was quick to hide his dark garb when he saw the light of one of the soldiers draw near; he sighed, this thing was too much trouble. The Fire Nation and many others were searching for this cloak, and Kel knew that he would be in some serious trouble if he was discovered with it. At best he'd have to kill everyone present, and at the worst he'd have to silence the entire area with his lightsaber. He knew what had to be done. Once he was sure that no patrols were nearby, Kel got out his cloak and started a small fire...

* * *

 **10 minutes later...**

It wasn't that hard to decide which pieces of the cloak to keep. Kel knew that the black hood and face cover could be useful, so he kept those. The rest of the black cloak he threw into the fire. _I guess I should be sorry._ Kel thought as he watched the majority of his sith robes burn. _This was one of the last things Dooku left me, I guess some would call this disrespectful to his memory._ Kel chuckled when he thought about that. Respect? Memory? He didn't need any of that. This cloak was one of the last things tying himself to that bastard, and now it was gone. "Well that's one problem solved." Kel mumbled as he fixed the hood and face cover onto his grey gi. The fabric felt warm.

"Hey kid the Princess wants you in the main tent." A soldier said as he rudely entered Kel's tent, in a normal situation he wouldn't have let that soldier walk out with his head. However, this wasn't a normal situation. "Where did you get that hood from? It's pitch black." The soldier said as he accidentally tripped over Kel's bedding. If he hadn't burned the cloak that clumsy soldier would have surely found it. Kel got up and offered the soldier his hand, complete with a completely fake smile of course, and helped the man up. After thanking him the soldier bowed and made his leave. Once he was absolutely certain that he had all of his gear, especially his lightsaber, Kel straightened his back and exited the tent. Appearances were always important when trying to infiltrate an enemy army. Even the slightest change of clothing, such as his gi's new black hood, could have immense ramifications for his standing with the opposing party. Thankfully he wasn't trying to infiltrate a galactic senate, he was trying to infiltrate an army run by humans. When he finally did arrive at the main tent he was welcomed with outlandish stares from the main soldiers. They weren't used to him yet, which was quite understandable.

"It looks like you have helped yourself to the spoils Kel. Get anything good?" Azula said as she stared at the map of the various nations. He nodded and tugged slightly on his hood, it was time for him to get back into character.

"I found this tattered old thing lying in one of the burned ruins." Kel said as innocently as he could, honestly it scared him how good he was at lying sometimes. As expected, Azula and the others paid no heed to his wardrobe's recent addition. After a few more moments in silence Kel spoke up. "So why did you call me here?" Azula shrugged and motioned for him to come closer.

"If you're going to work in this army then you'll need to know our plans." Kel nearly swore, he hated lectures. "I know you were a hermit Kel, but have you ever heard of this town right here?" Azula pointed to one of the symbols on the map. In slightly red ink read the word _Castarn Pass._ Kel shook his head. "It's a major trade hub for the western end of the Earth Kingdom, and we've received a report that the avatar was spotted nearby." Azula's sharp fingernails nearly tore right through the paper map as she traced a line from their position to the town.

"I'm guessing you want to take this town?" Kel asked her to the disdain of Azula's subordinates. Being an outsider did have its perks; for example, unlike the rest of the soldiers, he was given leeway when addressing Ms. Princess. Like Ty Lee and Mai he did not have to use honorifics, and was not forced to bow in her presence every fifteen minutes. After a few moments in silence Azula sighed and tapped her index finger on the wooden desk. This was a cue that signaled that they were allowed to sit down. When they were all comfortably seated Azula finally answered his question.

"Yes, me and my father both agree that Castarn would be an invaluable resupply point. If we want to take Ba Sing Se, as I intend to do, Castarn has to be under Fire Nation control." Kel rubbed his eyes as the light flickered in the nearby torches. This girl was a power hungry monster, but who was he to judge? It was only be a matter of time now before Castarn turned into another ash covered wasteland.

"Are you going to order the soldiers to burn Castarn?" He asked Azula. Odds are her answer would be yes. What other option was there? Castarn was an enemy held town after all. However, Kel knew he was wrong when he saw one of Azula's captains smile. _They aren't going to fight?_ He thought as he studied the captain's smile. That was the smile of a soldier spared from the battlefield. Azula confirmed this after she placed a quill and some parchment on the table.

"No we aren't going to fight." Azula said as she dipped the quill into the ink. When she saw that Kel was still confused she explained. "Apparently the King of Castarn is quite the lover of gold, or so we've heard." Azula said as she scratched the quill against the rough paper. "Our spies have been in contact with him for quite a long time. We'll give him gold, and in return he'll secede Castarn and its surrounding territories to the Fire Nation."

 _Gold? How boring._ Kel thought as he stared at the ink jar. Dooku always told him to never underestimate the greed of man, this was probably why. When Azula was finally done writing she blew on the wet ink and rolled up the parchment. After stamping it with the official Fire Nation emblem she handed the scroll to one of her captains.

"Make sure this gets to the king of Castarn. It's time for him to hold up his end of the bargain." The captain nodded and placed the letter securely in his left pocket. When that was done Azula opened a scroll that lay nearby, this one bearing a bright green seal.

"Is that a letter from the king?" Ty Lee asked. Azula nodded and threw the scroll into a nearby fire. The flames devoured the small piece of paper in seconds, turning it into a small pile of black ash.

"Is something wrong Princess?" One of the captains asked her.

"He wants the message to be delivered personally, not by a raven." Kel watched as everyone in the room rolled their eyes, they must have been expecting this. "Not only that," Azula continued, "until the deal is complete he doesn't want me, my bodyguards, or any party more than three people entering his city."

"What?!" Ty Lee yelled. "If he wants to do business with us he should at least have the courage to meet us in person!" Azula tapped a finger against the table. Not only was this a pain, but it was simply disrespectful! Ty Lee was fuming, she was so excited to finally see a major Earth Nation city, but now that chance had been stolen from her.

"If the situation was any different I'd have him burn." Azula growled as she watched the flames dance in the hearth. But her hands were tied, nobody would be burning tonight. "Well does anybody want to volunteer?" Azula asked. "You'll be heading into an Earth Nation city with only two guards. So think carefully before you-" Kel didn't need to think. His hand shot up so quick it nearly tore a hole in the roof of the tent.

"I'll go. I want to see what an Earth Nation city looks like." Kel said with the cheesiest, most innocent smile he could muster. Azula didn't respond, would she really send someone she barely knew to handle such sensitive matters? Then again, having someone as strong as Kel on the inside would come in handy if things went awry.

"I can't promise that you'll be allowed in the palace." Azula said. Kel smiled and clapped his hands together, he was longing for a change of scenery. However, the captains were far less happy than he was. For a brief second every flame in that tent grew a few inches taller.

"Princess!" One of the older captains yelled. "You can't really be intending to let this hermit serve as our emissary! I understand why you allowed him to accompany us. But his purpose is on the battlefield! Please, grant this job to someone with more tact, and knowledge of the situation." The man then bowed and apologized, "I am sorry for speaking out of turn." Kel smirked, loyalty really was an amazing thing.

"I never said he'd be the one doing the negotiating. Remember we still need to choose two other people." Azula said as the captain returned to his seat. "We need someone who is skilled in debate, and a person who can serve as their guard inside of the palace. Kel can act as our trump card if we need him." Azula then pointed to two of the younger captains. "I want you two to go." She ordered. The two men didn't even hesitate before they bent the knee.

"Yes, thank you Princess." One of the men said. "I will serve my role with..." Kel tuned out at this point and instead opted to watch a distant star through a hole in the tent's roof. So close yet so far away. Minutes turned into hours as Azula and the other captains grilled her chosen emissaries on their demands and policies. He probably would have fallen asleep right on the spot if Ty Lee didn't shake him awake. When the meeting was finally over and Kel was back in his tent, he smiled. So far his acting was working. Nobody suspected a thing. And tomorrow he would get to lay eyes on one of this world's most promising cities.

 _Well Castarn,_ Kel thought as he looked towards the west, _I hope you don't disappoint._

* * *

The heavy iron safe closed with a hard clunk as Kel relinquished his grey gi and lightsaber into its dark hold. The early morning breeze felt strange on his barren body. He sighed, honestly he didn't think this was necessary, stripping down to the bare minimum, that is. However, he had to if he wanted to enter Castarn. Azula told him and the other two chosen captains that any newcomers, regardless of rank or nobility, were always met with a thorough search before entering the city. He wouldn't risk placing his belongings in the barracks, so he made off with one of the safes. When everything was in order Kel then used to force to bury the metal box deep beneath the earth. "Mr. Vitaii? Is everything all right in there?" Asked one of the servants standing outside his tent. It was time for him to get back into character. _  
_

"Oh yes Ma'am." Kel said as he watched the handmaid walk into the changing tent. She was a young girl, probably around his age with brown hair. She blushed a little bit when she saw his mostly bare body; however, that didn't last long. She was a professional maid of the Fire Nation royal family after all.

"Princess Azula requests that you wear these robes for your visit to Castarn." She then laid the small box she was carrying at his feet and opened it with a click. Inside lay a beautiful purple and green robe. Even Kel couldn't help but stare. The craftsmanship of this world's artisans was quite something. "Now raise your arms." The handmaiden said; however, Kel shook his head and slipped the robes on himself.

"No offense Ma'am, but I prefer to dress myself." He said complete with a seductive grin. "Did the princess send anything else?" Kel asked her as he lifted a hand to the handmaiden's chin. The maid, her face now crimson, nodded and quickly dashed out of the tent. Kel smiled as he tied the silk belt taught against his waist. One of the major focuses of Dooku's lessons was how to manipulate people without using the force. He would dump him in some of the seediest slums in the galaxy just to see if he could survive. Needless to say he picked up quite a few tricks along the way.

When the handmaid returned she was carrying a long, and obviously very heavy, box. She struggled with it for a few seconds before finally tripping and falling into Kel's arms. "Now, now, make sure you watch where you're going. If something is too heavy for you, don't hesitate to call." Kel said with a smile, his silver tongue never failed.

"Y-yeah." The handmaiden mumbled as she rested in his arms, a rosy tint now painted upon her cheeks. He could even smell a hint of perfume wafting off of her body, that was new. Kel smiled, he could rely on her now if he ever needed items from the armory. After all love was a powerful thing. When she finally realized what she was doing though, the handmaid shot up and dashed out of the tent. Probably to go and gossip with the other servants about what had just transpired.

"Now what did you have for me?" Kel mumbled as he turned to the long wooden box. Inside lay a beauty of a sword. The blade itself was pure black, probably made out of obsidian, while the hilt was covered in purple and turquoise leather straps. The weapon even came complete with a wooden sheath. All in all it was a fine weapon, and after giving it a few swings Kel knew that it would be more than adequate for battle.

"That's your sword kid." A soldier said as he entered the changing tent. "And I sure hope you know how to use it, considering you're supposed to be playing the role of a noble." Kel sighed as he tied the sheath to his waist. Why were the Fire Nation soldiers always so annoying? "The Princess wants you outside for the last mission brief, don't be late." The soldier then pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to him. "That's your fake royal emblem. Make sure you have it on at all times." Kel nodded as he looked over the small silver medallion. Engraved upon the metal was what looked like a dove flying through the sun. All in all it looked convincing enough to fool a few guards, maybe even some spies if he played his cards right. When he was done inspecting the emblem pin Kel slipped it into his robes. His disguise was now complete.

"Where is the meeting point?" Kel asked the soldier. Instead of answering him the man just rudely pointed towards the center of their little encampment. Azula and her two chosen captains were standing there waiting for him. Both captains were each wearing a different emblem pin with an entirely different set of robes draped across their bodies. All in all they looked quite convincing. "Sorry I'm late." He apologized as he ran up to the group. "I couldn't find out how you tied these belts." Azula smiled, though Kel could tell that she was faking it.

"I'm assuming my servant Aurey helped you with that then." Azula asked him as she turned to a familiar blushing handmaid.

"Yes she did." Kel said with a bow. "She helped me a lot actually. So..." Kel then turned to the two captains. "What's our plan of attack?"

"You mean our plan of attack." The captain on the right chided. "We'll be the ones doing the negotiating. If everything goes well all you'll have to do is keep the king's guest house warm." The captain then turned to Azula. "Princess is there absolutely no way I can change your mind about him? I know his power is useful, but for someone like him to pose as a noble..."

"I told you already that Kel won't be at the negotiating table. He's just there as insurance in case something goes wrong." Azula said as she looked over her nails. "Since we are only allowed to bring in three people this is the best option. Your fake noble identities should be able to protect you from the prying eyes of any Earth Nation loyalists for at least a few days; and by then I expect that Castarn will be under our control." The captains just bowed their heads and nodded. However, Kel wasn't satisfied, he didn't like being pushed off to the side as just some glorified bodyguard. Sadly there were no other options.

"When will the king's transport arrive?" Kel asked. Almost as if on cue a hawk flew down and dropped a scroll into Azula's hands.

"According to our scouts..." Azula said as she burned the paper to ash in her hands. "They should be arriving within the hour." After that Azula turned to Ty Lee and Mai. "Can you make sure that this camp is gone by the time they get here? I don't want any soldiers still loyal to the Earth Nation ratting us out."

"Of course~" Ty Lee chirped as she rushed off to go help pack down tents. The sound of collapsing cloth and hammers followed soon after; and within just thirty minutes all that was left of their camp was some fire pits and the burned out remains of a village. As expected the Castarn transport arrived soon afterwords.

"Greetings my kings." The apparent leader of the soldiers said as he gave the two captains a bow. "We're here to transport you to Castarn per our lord's orders." The man then turned to Kel and bowed to him as well. "It is nice to see you here as well my prince." Kel nearly rolled his eyes as he watched the man's overly hammy performance. A show like this might have been enough to fool his soldiers, but Kel and the two captains could tell that this man knew who they were.

 _A Fire Nation ally huh?_ Kel thought as he looked over the man. It wasn't hard for him to sniff out traitors. Dooku said he had a talent for it. This man probably reported directly to the king of Castarn, most likely he was charged with making sure that their little deal went through without a hitch.

"Right this way my lords." The commander said as a group of soldiers walked up carrying three lecticas. The two captains hopped into theirs without complaints. However, Kel took a moment to look out at the horizon. In the distance he could see a group of birds fighting over the carcass of a recently gained kill.

 _How foreboding._ Kel thought as he stepped into his transport. He knew he was a predator, but who was his prey? Only time could tell him. Soon after he sat down he heard the hammy commander yell for them to begin their trek to Castarn; and with that they were off.

"Why did you trust him with that job?" Mai asked Azula as they watched the transport party disappear behind the mountains. "That boy is a hermit, he doesn't know the first thing about acting like a noble." Mai said as she climbed on top of her lizard.

"Chalk it up to my morbid curiosity." Azula said with a grin. "If the negotiations go well then we get Castarn, but if they don't and things go south, then we may be able to get a gauge on that boy's full abilities."

"So you're throwing him in there just to see what happens?" Mai asked her as their lizards trotted down a rocky path. The breeze was gone now, replaced by the soothing rays of the warm sun. Azula didn't answer and just continued to grin. Experiments like this always excited her. Plus now she had more time to search for the avatar. A few minutes later Ty Lee riding atop her lizard trotted up alongside the two of them.

"I sent the rest of the soldiers off to their next post like you asked. They should be back in time to receive Kel and the others when they return." Ty Lee said as she snagged a ripened apple off of a low hanging branch. "I'm guessing we're back on the avatar hunt now?" Azula nodded and turned her lizard west. They were back on the hunt, and Azula knew just where to look...

* * *

 **Castarn Gates, 9:00 AM.**

Sturdy. If there was a single word to describe Castarn, that was it. The city was built in layers going down, like an upside down cone, with each layer holding a different purpose. The only way in and out of the city was either via boat by utilizing the cities many canals, or by one singular massive gate. Needless to say he was taking the land route, and truth be told he was impressed. Earth bending seemed to be quite useful when it came to construction and architecture. The shear size, while nowhere near the cities he was used to, was still awe inspiring. This world's architects had imagination, he'd give them that. "Welcome to Castarn!" The commander announced as he fired what seemed to be a simple flare up into the air. A few moments later Kel watched as the giant gates seemed to just flow away and return to the Earth.

"Impressive, isn't it my prince?" One of the soldiers carrying his lectica said. "It's hard to believe that Ba Sing Se is over twenty times larger." Now that sounded more like a city he was used to, but Ba Sing Se would have to wait. Once the way was finally cleared their little caravan entered the city, or at least the inner wall. Here was where the infamous "searches" took place. A few men in brown uniforms quickly filed out of a nearby building and scoured over every inch of Kel and his belongings. Thank the force he decided against bringing his lightsaber.

"A blade?" Kel heard one of the searchers mumble as he inspected his recently acquired weapon. The man handed it over to one of his comrades for a closer inspection before they relinquished it back to Kel. "Let's hope you don't have to use it on anybody."

"I hope so too." Kel lied, in reality he was itching for a fight. These sort of checks always annoyed him greatly, and it wasn't just him. The two captains also seemed to be having a rough time of it over at their two check points. Maybe it was because of their age, or maybe it was because they just looked mean, but their inspection lasted much longer than his. When they were finally done the two captains got back in their lecticas and joined him at the outlet point. "Now don't you two look grumpy?" Kel joked, but they were in no mood for fun. There was one more hurdle that stood between them and the city now. That hurdle was a giant stone fort, this fort served as the outlet and inlet point for the majority of the cities canals. To Kel this fort seemed to be the Earth Nation's version of public transport. Earth benders would lift ships up onto the main platform via a stone elevator, the ships would then be filled with pedestrians before the earth benders returned the ships to the canals below.

"King Andras, King Besen, please allow me the pleasure of guiding you through our fair city!" Kel turned and saw what looked to be a rather plump minister bowing in front of the two captains. The man didn't even spare him a glance. "The king of our fine city requested that I take you two directly to the palace for negotiations." The two captains nodded and glanced back over to Kel.

"We're heading straight for the palace. You are to go directly to the royal guest house in the second quarter." One of the captains said as their party began to move forward.

"So this must be the young prince I've heard so much about!" The large man said as he gave Kel a very sloppy, and very disrespectful, bow. Kel scoffed. This man hadn't heard a damn thing, he was the prince of a fabricated kingdom after all; but this overly large minister didn't need to know that, now did he?

"I thank you for your courtesy. When I arrive at the guest palace I'll be sure to send you my regards." Kel said to the minister's joy. _You won't be smiling for long my chubby little friend, a sith's courtesy can be a deadly thing._ After that little transaction Kel and the two captains finally came to a stop. In front of their party stood two massive stone doorways, behind the left door was the king's personal canal and ship. While on the right was the archway entrance that led to the main walkway. It didn't surprise Kel at all that he was the one delegated to go right.

"Don't worry we'll be sure to call if something happens. Although I still don't see how a hermit like you can help." One of the captains chided as they clambered aboard the royal ship. "We're ready to go if you are!" He yelled at the earth benders above before turning back to give Kel one last death glare. A few seconds later Kel felt a slight rumble in the earth as the gigantic stone door shot up out of the ground and returned to its place. Those two were finally out of his hair.

"Are we going to the royal guest house now?" He asked one of the commanding officers walking beside his lectica. The man nodded.

"We expect to arrive before noon my prince." He said. Kel smiled and nodded before hopping out of his lectica. "My prince what are you doing?!" The man yelled, effectively stopping the caravan. The soldiers all turned to look at him with cocked eyebrows before Kel took a step forward.

"Your men look tired from carrying that hunk of garbage." Kel said as he pointed towards the lectica. "I think I'll give them a break." The officer just shook his head and ran up in front of Kel.

"My prince you are a guest of the royal family! We cannot allow you to walk, it would be an offense to your nation!" Kel just yawned and continued walking. He had a city to see, and he didn't want to see it from behind the curtains of a lectica. Plus out on the ground he could see everything. The twinkle of precious metals shining through the mud that caked the streets, the flocks of birds flying above his head, and most importantly, he could take in the full layout of the city.

"Huh, reminds me of Coruscant." Kel mumbled with a smile as he made his way down the stone steps. For a second he forgot that he was surrounded by an escort of Earth Nation troops, and just took it all in. Hopefully, somewhere in this massive nest of people and coin, he would find his prey, the avatar. _I sure hope you don't disappoint._ Kel thought as he watched the blood-red sun peak through the clouds. It was a good day for a battle and his new sword was thirsty for blood. And he was about ready to give a good long drink. _Ah great. They're still following me._ Kel thought as he quickly stole a glance to one of the back alleys. Two men, both wearing brown cloaks, had been following him ever since he stepped foot into Castarn. Odds were he wasn't the only one being followed. If his intuition was correct, which he knew it was, the two captains also had some men tailing the avatar was the main course, then his new stalkers were the appetizers. Kel grinned, it was time for him to set his trap.

* * *

 **Downtown Castarn, Second Quarter, 11:00 AM.**

There was a saying in Castarn that you could find a piece of every man in the second quarter. This area of the gigantic merchant city had the most shops, inns and bars out in all of Castarn. The wealthy and the common peasantry all converged on this one area to mingle and trade; and it was one of the only places in the world where a common man could sit down and have a glass of tea with a noble. However, this area also saw the least nobles out of all of Castarn. To an outsider this lack of nobility would be quite strange, after all the royal family's guest house was in the second quarter; however, those mystified by the lack of nobles obviously didn't know Castarn's second common saying: that where one finds gold and silver, he can also find secrets. And nowhere was this more true than in the second quarter; the area was infamous for its gangs of mercenaries and rumored webs of foreign spies.

On the rare occasion a lectica procession did come through the quarter, the military always made sure to clear the streets; but even then it was almost certain that at least one of the nobles would be found dead or missing by the next morning. As a result of this high crime rate, whenever a noble did want to stay in the royal guest house, they would always have to arrive via the royal family's personal canal. Even the guest house itself was walled off from the second quarter, with the only entrance via land being a small, and closely guarded, steel gate.

It was ironic really, next to the first quarter which housed the main palace, the second quarter was technically the closest one could get to nobility. However, even though the citizens were so close. Many of them had never even seen a noble in their entire lifetime. To them the nobility was a far off and almost mystical entity. Many of the young women dreamed of what a prince would look like. While the young men and soldiers bragged in the bars about the battles they fought, and how cool it would be to face one of the mystical nobles in battle. The second quarter, and the citizens in it, were practically an unknown factor, a place for nobles to avoid. And so the citizens went about their usual care free day; the bartenders and restaurant owners readied their tables as men and women by the thousands poured into the streets. While the young men who recently joined the city watch prepared themselves for their shift. It was here, in this early morning chaos, that the criminally inclined members of society found refuge. It was easy to hide in playing sight when part of a crowd of thousands. And when your party consisted of just four people, your group could be considered almost invisible.

"Wow that's a lot of people." Sokka said as he peered out of the inn room's window at the street below. "You're telling me that Ba Sing Se really has more people than this? I don't believe it." Katara sighed as she pulled her brother back from the window.

"You really should be more careful brother. We might be in the Earth Kingdom but there are still plenty of people who could be spies for the Fire Nation. What if they recognized you?" Katara said as she sat Sokka down and got out her medicinal water. "How's it doing?" Katara asked him as she unraveled the bandages which covered his arm. Planted right in the center of his bicep was a massive gash. Katara sighed as she bent the healing water onto her brother's wound.

"Ow! That stings!" Sokka cringed. Toph laughed from her spot at the other end of the room. "What? Do you think this is funny?!" He yelled. Toph just rolled her eyes and tossed a pebble at the boy.

"I do. I find it absolutely hilarious how the great warrior Sokka is tearing up over a little rock bug infection." Toph said as she played with a few pebbles in the air. She smiled as she morphed the tiny little rocks into shapes of all sizes.

"This wasn't a small infection! I fell into a freaking nest of the things!" Sokka yelled as he glared at Toph. The earth bender just shrugged and returned her attention to her pebbles; which only served to infuriate Sokka more. "We had to fly all the way out here to get a doctor! And you aren't the least bit worried? I could have lost my arm to those parasites!" Again Toph shrugged.

"I nearly lost all of my limbs to those things when I was growing up. So forgive me if I'm not that sympathetic." Toph teased, Sokka was nearly about to boil over; however, Aang stopped him.

"Guys stop! This isn't the time to be fighting!" Aang pleaded as Momo flew through the air above. Sokka bit his lip in pain and nodded, rock bugs really did hurt. "Did the doctor get all of them out Katara?" Aang asked her. Katara nodded.

"Yes, right now all Sokka needs is time to heal." Katara then returned her water to its flask and turned to Aang. "How's Appa doing?" She asked as her eyes darted up towards the roof.

"I just fed him," Aang said as he watched some dust fall from the ceiling. "Although I can't say that he's too keen on staying here for long. It gets hot underneath that tarp after all." Katara nodded as she scoured through her bags.

"We really should thank those innkeepers for letting us stay here." Katara said as she pulled out a small piece of paper and some ink. "I'm going to write them a thank you note." Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Don't bother, if the wrong person finds it we could get them in trouble." Sokka said as he pressed his back up against a wooden wall. "And avatar sympathizers seem to be so far apart nowadays. Plus, there aren't many people out there who have the resources to hide a big bison like Appa." Sokka said.

"Do you think they'd let us keep that tarp?" Aang said as he sat down next to Sokka. "It could really save us some trouble in the future." And that it could. The tarp itself was actually a sort of tent, which had many different layers that could be pealed off for different environments. Since they were in a city they had the brown decal on now. Effectively it made Appa look like part of the roof.

"Where did those innkeepers say they got it from?" Toph spoke as she hopped out of her bed.

"They told me they got it as payment from some merchant." Katara said as she blew on the wet ink. "Finished, now all it has to do is dry." She then placed the letter next to the window, and let it sit in the warm sun. Katara sighed when she got a glimpse of the city down below. She wouldn't show it, but she wanted to explore. And so she sat there for a few seconds, making a map of the city streets in her head. She saw the steam wafting from the roadside noodle stands, the children laughing and cheering as they ran through the streets, and she saw the parade of soldiers... "Wait what?" Katara said as she instinctively pulled the blinds open.

"What was that about not being seen?" Sokka grumbled as he walked over next to he sister. "What are you looking at anyway?" He answered his own question when his eyes landed upon main street. Sokka then turned to Aang and Toph and pointed out the window. "That's a noble's procession!"

"A noble procession? I heard that they wouldn't come near this part of town." Toph said as she and Aang peered over Katara's and Sokka's heads. But there it was, the long strings of soldiers could only mean that a noble was in town. "Do you think it could be someone from the Fire Nation?" Sokka looked at her like she was stupid.

"You do realize we're in an Earth Kingdom city right?" He said. Toph rolled her eyes and flicked another pebble at him. This one landed right between the eyes.

"There's this thing called diplomacy. You might have heard of it." Sokka grunted as he rubbed his forehead. He swore that she sharpened that one.

"Don't worry Sokka, if the Fire Nation was here we'd know. Let's just wait and see." Aang said calmly as he watched the people crowd around the edges of the street. The soldiers marched on and on, but he didn't see any actual transport. Maybe it wasn't a royal procession. They waited and waited for the soldiers to pass, until finally they saw him.

"He looks too scrawny to be a noble." Sokka said as he stared at the boy in the turquoise robes. "He's stupid too. If what we heard about this place is correct, then he shouldn't be here. Heck he's even walking out in the open! How often do you see that?" The others stayed silent. This certainly was a strange situation, but something stranger was already in motion.

"Who are they?" Katara wondered out loud as she watched group of strange men clamber on top of a neighboring roof. They were wearing brown cloaks and had their faces covered. At first they thought the men were just trying to get a good view of the procession. That's when they saw the arrows...

* * *

"My prince I'm warning you, we should leave and fall back. This place is dangerous for people like you." The commander of the guards said as he walked up to Kel. The man was determined, he'd give them that.

"The guest palace is just down the road. Why would we turn back now?" The commander's face paled. Kel knew that what the man was saying was right, but he didn't care. Danger was the one thing he wanted right now. As he walked down the streets Kel looked over the faces of some of the onlookers. They stared at him like he was some sort of exhibit. _What a perfect place for an assassination._ Kel thought as he stared at the rooftops above. As expected his group of stalkers had now grown to at least twenty people. He smirked, only twenty? They obviously didn't know who they were dealing with.

"My lord please listen! We need to get out of here now!" The commander pleaded, but Kel continued on his way. The towering walls surrounding the guest palace loomed overhead; and it wasn't long before he and the group of soldiers were enveloped under its shadow.

 _They should be starting right about now._ Kel thought as he scanned over the rooftops again. He smiled when he saw a man wearing a brown cloak walk out of the crowd and block his path. Right on schedule. The commander and the Castarn soldiers were quick to surround the man; within a matter of seconds they had half of the street aimed right at his head.

"State your name criminal! Blocking a royal procession is a capital offense!" The commander yelled, but the man stayed where he was. "If you do not move now we will be forced to take action!" He yelled again, but still the man was motionless.

"Then attack me, but you'll be jailed for treason if you do." The man said as he let down his hood. The soldiers and the commander all recoiled back when they saw what the man was wearing.

"Y-you're Dai Li!" The commander yelled before regaining his composure. "Why are you here? I thought you guys weren't due for your next mission for at least another week." Instead of answering him the Dai Li officer just walked past the commander and shoved a yellowed piece of parchment into his chest.

"That's a royal warrant. All the way from Ba Sing Se." The man said as he turned to Kel. The commander gasped when he read the scroll's contents.

"This is an arrest warrant!" The commander yelled before turning to the Dai Li officer. "What is the meaning of this?! All of my men are clean, I can promise you that!" Kel watched as six more Dai Li operatives walked into the street. It didn't take long before he was completely surrounded.

"We aren't here for any of your men commander." The officer said as he pointed at Kel. "We're here for the spy." Kel sighed and cracked his knuckles as the men came closer.

"Spy? What spy?" The commander asked again. Instead of answering him the operative just tossed the man a small bag. Inside it he found two emblem pins and a mound of opened scrolls. Kel didn't need to guess who the pins belonged to. Those two captains had it coming.

"Those two kings you received today weren't kings, and this prince isn't a prince." The officer said as he showed the commander another scroll, this one had the Castarn royal seal imprinted on it. "They were spies sent here by the Fire Nation to procure Castarn for a future invasion of Ba Sing Se. The king of Castarn was actively conspiring with them to sell off the city, and for quite the hefty pile of coin."

"Why were we not informed of this?!" The commander yelled as he flipped through the multitude of scrolls. "The king was a traitor? I can't believe it..."

"We couldn't risk any leaks, this was the only way to apprehend all of the culprits. The treasonous king of Castarn is rotting in a cell, and the two spies who were supposed to seal the deal went out in a burst of flame." Kel watched as the Dai Li operatives and the rest of the Earth Nation soldiers raised their fists to him. Now things were getting interesting. All of the civilians had rushed inside their homes, they had good instincts, he would give them that.

"You aren't the only one's with a traitor in their midst." Kel said as he leaned on one of the nearby buildings. "You see, I know for a fact that Azula burned all of the scrolls she got. So I have to wonder, who told you all of this? They must be close to the princess to be privy to that sort of information. Maybe one of the captains perhaps?" Kel asked the head Dai Li operative.

"Why? Do you want revenge for your princess? I'm sorry but that isn't going to happen." The man said as he raised his arm; however, much to the man's surprise, Kel just shrugged.

"I don't really care actually. Don't get me wrong I'll still kill him, but you're trying to preach to the deaf if you think I care about that princess garbage." He said as he placed a thumb on the hilt of his new sword, it wouldn't be as clean as a lightsaber, but it would do in a pinch. The operative laughed as he raised his arm in the air; the men on the rooftops then lifted large boulders from the ground, and aimed them at him. _They plan to barrage me from above? How utterly dull._

"You're an interesting on. I'll give you that, but this is the end of the line!" And his arm came down; however, just before the rocks went flying a large gust of wind pushed all of the Dai Li operatives and soldiers to the ground. "What?!" The operative yelled as he looked for the source of the wind. He found his answer in the sky, where what looked to be a large flying bison hovered in the air. Besides Kel, everyone present recognized the bison instantly.

"So when did you guys decide to start killing kids?" A girl asked them as the bison flew down to the ground. Everyone knew who she was. Toph, the great earth bender who served as a teacher to the avatar Aang. And that wasn't all, the great warrior Sokka, the water bender Katara, and even the avatar himself were all present.

"I don't know what all of this is about." Aang said as he hopped down and walked up to Kel. "But violence, if it can be avoided, is never the answer! If this boy did something to offend you then please give him the chance to defend himself!" Aang yelled, but the soldiers still did not ease their stance. "Why won't you..." Aang started, something was wrong.

"Avatar Aang! That kid is a spy for the Fire Nation! Get away from him!" The Dai Li officer yelled as he dashed to Aang's position. "He's danger-" The man didn't get the chance to finish his sentence before Kel's blade found its way to his neck. Aang didn't even see the boy move.

"One down." The boy said as he stood over the officer's corpse. Again the boy disappeared before suddenly reappearing next to another soldier. There was a scream, and then the man went silent. "Two down." At this point was when the Di Li and the soldiers started to react. Rocks began to fly like rain as they tried to strike down the boy. Kel smiled, he knew that it was possible to increase your speed artificially by using the force, but this was something else.

"Move it Twinkletoes!" Toph yelled as she hastily grabbed Aang and pulled him up into Appa's saddle. "Your bison wants to bolt! And we can't leave without you!" Aang didn't respond, he was still caught in a daze; however, Toph made him respond when she smashed her foot into Aang's toe.

"Ouch! Toph why did you do that?!" He yelled.

"Less talking, more flying!" Sokka yelled as he shoved the reigns into Aang's hands. "We need to get out of here man so hurry up and yip yip!" Aang nodded and looked down at the street below. What was once a beautiful city street was now covered in red. The cries of the wounded drowned out the battle cries of those still fighting. And while Aang wanted to stay and help, something inside him screamed to flee.

"What sort of spy can do that?" Sokka mumbled as Appa flew into the clouds.

"A Fire Nation spy. They're masters when it comes to horrors like this." Katara said as she looked over Aang and the others for any injuries, luckily none of them were hurt. Aang grimaced as his eyes turned back towards the bloody street, which was now a distant dot on the horizon.

"They were trying to capture that monster. And I helped him escape." Aang mumbled with tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. "Those men's blood are on my hands." Katara walked over and gave Aang a hug.

"There, there, we couldn't have known what that boy was." She said as she placed a hand on Aang's. "But we will make it right! The Fire Nation will pay for this!" She said. Aang smiled and nodded; however, Sokka wasn't satisfied with just that.

"We'll make the Fire Nation pay, but if we ever see that monster again I'm putting my sword through him!" Sokka said as he punched his fists together.

"For once we agree on something Sokka." Toph said as she tried to wipe off some of the blood that was stuck to her feet. "When I finally get Aang earth bending like a pro, we'll come back here and teach that monster a lesson. Now doesn't that sound like fun? Right Sokka?" Toph said; however, she was met with silence. "Sokka?"

"You all really should watch what jumps on your bison. Those long white hairs are quite easy to grab a hold of." Toph's eyes widened, she didn't recognize that voice. Katara and Aang heard the voice as well, and for a moment it seemed like time froze.

"G...guys..." They heard Sokka's whimper. Aang's heart stopped when he saw the source of the voice. It was that boy, that monster, who slaughtered all of those men. And he was holding his blade to Sokka's neck. The black sword was stained with fresh blood, it formed into droplets and fell down into Sokka's shirt, staining the blue cloth red.

"Shhh~ You don't want to lose your head, do you?" Kel said as he patted Sokka's head.

"What do you want?" Sokka asked as he tried to bend his neck away from the blade.

"What do I want?" Kel chuckled as he moved the edge of his sword closer to Sokka's neck. He looked up and stared at Aang, his golden eyes pierced through to the boy's soul. "Chaos."

* * *

 **Yeah again sorry for the almost two year wait. If you have been waiting that long then I apologize, but I can at least say for certain now that this story will be getting regular updates. Expect the next update sometime around next month. Not much more to say.**

 **Again, sorry for the wait, but I'm back baby!**

 **P.S. I know the Dai Li eventually betray the Earth Kingdom, but that isn't until later.**

 **Anyway! Please rate and review and I'll see you on the next chapter of The Wandering Shadow!**

 **Chapter Four: Return to Sender**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey The Wandering Shadow is back again! And this time not a year later! Thank you for all of your compliments and critiques. I'll be sure to fix any issues I have, and continue to expand on a story I hope you all love! Anyway, back to The Wandering Shadow.**

 **Don't own Star Wars or ATLA you know the drill.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Return to Sender**

It's a beautiful thing, the sky, that is. Kel nearly forgot the simple pleasure of wafting through the clouds, his hand feeling the moisture rush against his skin. And this time was no different. Granted he did have his sword to a boy's neck, and he was threatening a group of rather strong kids; but it still amazed him. He could have massacred every person in Castarn and the world would just keep on turning. It would not mourn their loss, just like the force wouldn't mourn his if he perished. "Tell me," Kel said as he brushed the edge of his blade against the underside of Sokka's jaw. "Would your friends mourn you if I cut your head off?"

"Sokka!" Katarra yelled as she instinctively reached for her water-filled flask. She couldn't even touch the cap before Kel pushed the blade deeper into Sokka's neck. And this time he made sure that he drew blood, not much, but enough to send a message. Luckily these kids weren't idiots, they understood his message and were quick to lower their arms. He felt Sokka shudder as he pulled his sword away and grinned.

"You four really aren't used to this are you?" Kel said as he stroked the side of Sokka's head. The boy was pale as a sheet. However, his words fell on deaf ears. They were all too worried about what he'd do to Sokka to pay attention, and he hated being ignored. As punishment he took Sokka's Water Tribe sword and buried the blunt side into the boy's gut. Now he had their attention. "You know it's rude to leave a person hanging when they've asked you a question. And in a situation like this..."

"What are your demands?" Aang interrupted him. When Kel saw the seriousness in the boy's eyes he couldn't help but laugh. It started as a light chuckle and then grew into a rumbling gale. "What's so funny?" Aang asked him, Kel stopped and wiped a tear from his eye.

"I just find it funny that you think this is a hostage situation." Kel said as he removed his blade from Sokka's neck. The boy jumped up so quick that he nearly fell off the side of the bison. With his hostage now released Kel soon had three of the four elements aimed straight at his head; however, his calm composure stayed the same. "Do it," he said as he stood up and placed his sword over his shoulders. "Drown me, cut me with your blades of wind, shoot me with those pebbles, end me..." Kel said as he opened up his stance, which completely confused the four members of team avatar.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked him as she took a step forward. The watery spears floating above their heads only seemed to get sharper as time passed on, Kel smirked, at least she had some good instincts. But Kel knew he was safe. He knew none of these kids had the courage to pull the trigger. And so he hopped out of the ginormous sky bison saddle and walked over to the edge. Everything down below was so tiny, but he found what he was looking for nonetheless.

"For a Fire Nation spy you sure are weird." Toph said as she morphed some of the rocks she brought into a stone gauntlet. "What? Are you too afraid to fight us?" Kel giggled again and smiled. Now he was starting to unnerve them.

"Don't get me wrong," Kel said as he pointed his sword at Toph's head. "There's nothing I love more than a good fight, but I'm different then all of the other people you have faced so far. And do you want to know why?" Kel's words were met with silence, so he continued. "It's because I'm actually going to kill you."

"If I had a coin for every time I heard that." Sokka said as he raised his boomerang in the air. "We're up against the Fire Nation, half of the world wants us dead. And none of them have succeeded." The sharpened blade of Sokka's boomerang glinted in the sunlight. "That prince Zuko couldn't do it and neither could his sister. You'll fail just like them." Kel smirked, this boy sure could talk big when he didn't have a sword to his throat.

"Do you actually think they want to kill you?" Kel said as he turned back to the edge of Appa's back. He could almost hear the four comrades eyes roll as a gust of wind blew forth from the east. _So my target's downwind._ He thought as he stared at a small mass of dots on the horizon. _Excellent._

"Are you daft? Aang's the avatar! Of course the Fire Nation royals want to kill him!" Sokka started; however, he stopped when he saw Kel throw something at him. It was small and seemed to be made out of silver. "An emblem pin?" Sokka mumbled. Kel clapped his hands together, so the boy wasn't completely hopeless after all!

"It may be a fake, but that's a noble's pin. See how it glitters in the sunlight? It's beautiful, but it doesn't serve a purpose. Just like how killing the four of you out in the middle of nowhere will serve no purpose." Quick as a flash Kel snatched one of Toph's pebbles out of its spot in the air. "People like that prince and princess don't want to kill you. They want to execute you. Sure they may try to mortally wound you, but in the end all they want to do is bring your heads back as a trophies. But..." Kel said as he tossed Toph's pebble up into the air. "I'm not like them. I don't want your heads as trophies, I don't want recognition, all I want is a good fight."

"Then let's fight!" Sokka yelled as he lunged at Kel; using the force Kel put Sokka off balance, causing the Water Tribe warrior to rush past him and over the edge of the bison. Sokka's eyes widened to the size of saucepans as he felt himself begin to fall; however, right before he was completely over the edge Kel grabbed his arm and tossed him back into Appa's saddle. He smirked when he saw Sokka's confused gaze. "I thought you said you were going to kill us?" The boy mumbled as he tried to regain his balance. Kel shrugged and sat down on Appa's soft fur.

"That would be no fun," he said as he dangled his feet over the edge. The wisps of cold wind tickled his limbs as the moisture from the clouds dampened his pants, the bison's fur was practically soaked.

"So are you going to fight us or not?" He heard Aang say as they wafted down into the clouds. Kel said nothing and continued to scour over the horizon. The village he was looking at before was closer now, instead of simple dots on the horizon he could fully make out some of the buildings. It was time for him to make his move.

"I don't want to fight you yet because you four aren't at your full strength." Kel said as he dug his right hand deep into Appa's thick fur. "I was just curious, I wanted to see if you four would be opponents worthy of my time."

"Well did we pass your test?" Toph growled as she stepped forward. Kel grinned and nodded when his hand finally found Appa's leathery skin.

"That's why I haven't killed you yet, I think I'll give you all some time to simmer before I finally give you rest." Sokka's eyebrow twitched as he, once again, reached for his boomerang.

"I've had enough of you!" Sokka yelled as he lifted his arm up to throw his weapon, but the throw never came. Instead it was replaced by a sudden jerk, almost like an earthquake. "What's going on?!" Sokka yelled as he held onto the reigns of the saddle for dear life. Aang, Katara and Toph found themselves doing the same when they felt Appa suddenly fall from the sky.

"Appa! Buddy what's wrong?!" Aang yelled as he tried to get Appa to regain altitude. "Yip yip! Yip yip!" He yelled, but it was all for naught.

"Fly too close to the sun and you may lose your wings." Aang turned to find Kel standing behind him, the boy's black sword brushing up against Appa's white coat.

"You! What did you do to Appa?!" Aang yelled, but Kel just shook his finger and returned to the edge of the bison's body.

"That's a question for another time." Kel said as he waved to Aang and the others. "I'll be looking forward to the day when I can fight you all for real. So please make an effort to get stronger." And with that the boy did something none of them expected: he jumped off of Appa and into the open air. As soon as the boy's feet left Appa's body the sky bison returned to normal. Their terrifying plummet to the ground came to a sudden, and very disorienting, halt. The second the four friends regained their composure they rushed to peer over the edge. But the boy was gone.

* * *

 _How disappointing._ Kel thought as he hovered beneath the green canopy of the forest. After hearing all of the hype surrounding the avatar he expected a little more, and he hated when his expectations were dashed. _For you and your friends sake you better get a lot stronger_ _._ Kel thought as he stared back at the small white dot flying off into horizon. He wasn't one to give second chances, and there was no way he had the mercy in him for three. He landed on the forest floor with a hearty crunch, courtesy of the piles of dead leafs that covered the ground, and looked up. It was hard to make out from his position, but from there he could already see smoke wafting up into the air above the village. _So the traitor's already made his move huh?_ Kel thought as he quietly moved closer to the village. He sighed when he saw an Earth Kingdom flag wafting high above the rooftops. _So much for the reliability of the mighty Fire Nation military._ Kel thought as he surveyed the area. Azula told him during the briefings that this abandoned village would be their temporary base of operations; however, he couldn't find a single defensive barrier, even the supply crates remained unpacked. _Must've been ambushed_ _before they could react._

"Mighty earth bender my ass!" Kel heard someone yell from a nearby shack. "What earth bender worth his salt can't even open a metal safe?!" The voice said again. Quiet as a mouse Kel used the force to pop a peephole into the shack's wooden wall and looked inside. There were five men, all Earth Kingdom soldiers, standing around what looked like a safe. And a very familiar safe at that. "Here let me try!" A soldier yelled as he pushed his friend out of the way.

 _You'll never get that safe open._ Kel thought as he readied his blade. He recognized that safe, it was the one he buried back in that husk of a village. The one he shielded with the force. But how in the world did these five idiots manage to find it. The only way they could've discovered the safe was if they were looking for it; and the Earth Nation would have had to have known about Azula's previous encampment up in the mountains. Which meant that... Kel smiled. He knew it. _So our little traitor has made his move._ He thought as he quietly drew his sword. The traitor that Dai Li operative mentioned must've spilled the beans on the locations of their previous encampments. Logically speaking, it made sense that Earth Nation soldiers would return to said spots to look for evidence and loot. These five must've just gotten lucky, or unlucky, considering it was his safe they stole.

"Maybe we should go ask that Fire Nation commander. He may know how to get into this safe-" One of the soldiers said right before Kel shoved his sword through his legs. Two clean cuts were all it took to silence the man. And his buddies came soon after. Before any of them realized what was going on, they were all lying dead in a pool of blood. Kel then sighed and turned to his safe. With a flick of the wrist he released the force-seal he placed on the metal box. Like a puppet whose strings were cut, the box fell to the floor and opened. Kel grinned as he removed his lightsaber and black hood from the safe. First he slipped on his hood, which went with his purple and turquoise robes perfectly, and then activated his lightsaber. With his bloodied sword in one hand, and his red lightsaber in the other, he exited the building.

 _Now where is our little traitor?_ Kel thought as he silently made his way through the village. Littered throughout the small town was splashes of blood. _The fighting must've stopped recently._ Kel didn't need to guess who was the loser; the various trampled Fire Nation flags on the ground told him all he needed to know. What was once a soothing forest breeze had been stained with the stench of blood. Mixed into that stench was the musty and dull scent of unearthed rocks; however, that wasn't all. To the east, just upwind, Kel could smell ash and fire.

He could have easily slaughtered every patrol he came across, but that would've been no fun. Plus, if he started a large battle, he could risk losing the turncoat. Traitors, at least in his experience, usually resorted to running when things started to get tough. And so he sank into the shadows, the only notification of his presence being the dull red light of his lightsaber. The wet mud had caked onto his sandals, and by the time that he reached the center of the village his toes had nearly fallen off. _Still..._ Kel grinned. _This cold is nothing compared to the barren wastes of Hoth._

"Have those five finally managed to open that safe they found?" One of the heads of an Earth Nation patrol asked as they walked past Kel. The leader's comrades just shrugged and shook their heads.

"Not yet sir, maybe we should ask the captain, he reports directly to Azula after all." One of the soldiers asked, but their commander wanted none of it. He turned his poorly shaven face towards the ground and spat into the dew-covered grass.

"The day I turn to a Fire Nation lackey for help, turncoat or not, is the day that I die." The man then turned to a poorly built door and tore the rotted thing from its hinges. "I still don't see what the general saw in that man. He was so quick to abandon his princess and comrades. Mark my words, if given the chance he'll turn his back on us as well." The commander then pointed into the desolate house and whispered. "Be careful while you search, some remnants of that Fire Nation troop we defeated may still be in here." The soldiers nodded and carefully stepped into the charred house. The only sources of light in the building consisted of just a few solitary beams coming from the torn-out windows. The window blinds and covers were burned, and the fires that burnt them had all gone cold.

"I thought summer wasn't that far away." One of the soldiers mumbled as frost misted out from in between his teeth. The other soldier nodded and raised his hands to his lips, in a vain attempt to rekindle that lost warmth. "Hey commander..." The soldier said as he turned back towards the entrance. "Something's definitely in here..." He started, this wasn't a normal cold, it felt empty and merciless; all he and his partner wanted to do now was leave. However, his pleas were met with deaf ears. As the commander had vanished. Cocking an eyebrow the soldier's partner hastened to the doorway, but it was too late. By the time his frozen feet managed to reach the charred entrance a massive pile of stone erupted from the ground; trapping the two men inside.

"Alright! Who did that! I'll be sure to report you to the general!" The other soldier yelled as he pounded on the wall of stone; again, the two men were met with silence. The two soldiers started to rub their biceps, it was really getting cold now. Their breaths became massive clouds of fog as they tried to suck back in the life that was leaving them. Eventually, the rapidly dropping temperature became too much for the men to handle.

"Commander! If this is some sort of test, then we're sorry!" One of the soldiers yelled as he lowered his arms towards the ground. "I'm going to remove the stone wall now!" He then shoved his fists into the ground. However, much to his horror, nothing happened. "What the hell?!" The soldier yelled as he shoved his fists even deeper into the charred floor. But still the wall persisted. The man's partner, tired from the cold and from waiting, pushed the man aside and raised his hands.

"Someone could be keeping the stone in place. So we'll have to make another door!" The soldier then lifted up a few pebbles that lay strewn across the floor and shot it at a nearby wall. After all, the wood was charred and brittle. It should fall easily to his bending. The pebbles bounced off the wall like bullets, yanking up a cloud of black dust from the wall; however, when the dust cleared the wall remained intact. The pebbles, which the soldier had thought he'd shot into the wall, were floating in the air. Suspended by some sort of invisible wall, that rippled like water. "What in the world is this?" The soldier wondered as he placed his hand on the wall. Much to his surprise, the strange phenomenon was not as penetrable as water. Instead the invisible wall was as hard as steel, and impossible to bend. A few tests was all it took for the two soldiers to discover that the whole building: the rock wall, the floor, the windows. Were all barred from entry. And still the temperature continued to drop.

"Wha-what's going on?" The two men said as their teeth began to rattle. It was getting hard to speak now. It was so cold, so cold. The two sat there for what seemed like hours, before a sound finally broke through the deafening silence.

"Ahhhh!" It was a scream, and not just any scream. Those two would recognize that tone anywhere. Granted it was far from the battle cry they were used to, but it was familiar.

"Commander?!" One of the soldiers said in disbelief as he bolted towards the run down steps. His partner was quick to follow. They had to go slow at first, to avoid falling through the decaying floor, but they made it to the second floor. The screaming continued for a few moments before finally going silent. The men rushed down the hallway, quick as lightning, before coming up to a dilapidated door frame. One of the soldiers quietly motioned to the other before the two busted into the room.

What they saw horrified them. Lying dead, in a pool of blood, was their commander. His corpse lay strewn across the room; however, the actual slash wounds were charred closed. Multiple deep gashes dotted the man's body, it looked like a grisly fight. They didn't need to search for the culprit either, as standing at the end of the room, staring out of a window, was a boy. He wore an intricately woven pair of turquoise and purple robes; however, the boy's face was hidden under the shadow of a dark hood. In his left hand he held a pitch black sword, while in his right he grasped, what looked like, a blade of pure fire.

"Your superior couldn't answer my questions." The boy started, the words dripping like poison off of his tongue. He then turned to the two soldiers and pointed the fire blade right at them. "Maybe you two can." The two soldiers didn't even have the time to react before they felt a strange influence wash over them. "Tell me," the boy started, "where can I find the traitor?"

* * *

 **Meanwhile in the camp's canteen...**

The soldiers whistled as the watched the beautiful torrent of flames flow out of the man's hands. The fire had transformed itself into a multitude of different shades: purple, blue, green, white, it was truly quite the sight. When the man finished his little show he hopped off the stage and cracked his knuckles. "How was that for fire bending?" He said. The soldiers burst into cheers.

"I honestly didn't think the Fire Nation had anyone like you on their side." One of the captains said as he walked up to the man and threw an arm over his shoulder. "You made the right choice coming over to our side Caellen." The captain then raised a mug into the air and yelled. "Three cheers for our brand new comrade!" He yelled.

"Oh please, I don't deserve this." Caellen said as he waved his hands in the air. "After all, I am a man with no honor who betrayed his comrades." He said with a cocky smile, the room of soldiers exploded into a bout of laughter.

"Trust me, you betrayed the right people." One of the soldiers said as he raised a glass to the traitorous fire bender. Again Caellen bowed and turned to the Earth Nation commander.

"So when are we going to 'take care of' my late comrades?" He asked the man as his eyes darted back to a tent near the back of the camp. "Survivors talk too much, if we aren't careful then..." The commander stopped him mid-sentence as he shoved a mug of sake into the man's hand.

"Hush hush, now is the time for celebrating! After all, you only have a day before you return to that witch-of-a princess's command. So why not relax?" Caellen smiled and nodded as he sat down next to the other soldiers. Steam from freshly made meals wafted off from the warm plates and out of the tent.

"What do you think she's going to tell you next?" One of the female soldiers asked him. Caellen shrugged and raised a hand to scratch his chin.

"Honestly I don't know, considering that her plans for Castarn just fell through. I doubt that she'd try anything major; although..." Caellen pinched the bridge of his nose. There was something he was forgetting, something important. He was so caught up in stopping the Fire Nation invasion of Castarn, that he had completely forgot an important piece of intel. "Eh whatever." He shrugged, even the best spies forgot something every once in awhile. Right now all he should be focused on was relaxing.

The party continued on for quite some time, well into the afternoon, before something finally happened. "Hey Caellen! My wife's here! Why don't you show her that little rainbow trick!" One of the men called from the back. Suddenly the turncoat found himself swamped by requests for an encore. One that he was willing to provide. He laughed and then stood back up, thanks to the sake it took awhile for him to find his balance, but it didn't take long.

"Okay, watch closely now." He started as he pushed his hands back. "I'm only going to do this one more time..." And he shoved his hands forward; however, much to Caellen's surprise, the torrent of flames was reduced to a small ember. _What in the world?_ He thought as he continued to force more energy into the flames; however, the ember did not grow. Instead all he got was a small blue shimmer, like the ripples of an invisible shield containing his flames. Sad to say, it was too late for the fire bender. Suddenly the ripple dissipated. And all of his flames that were contained within that tiny invisible shield came forth. The explosion was massive, and within a matter of milliseconds, what was once a peaceful party became hell on earth. "Ow! What the-" Caellen cursed as he gripped at his ears. Surprisingly he was mostly uninjured, save the horrible ringing in his ears, but that could not be said about his fellow party goers.

"Yuma! Yuma!" Yelled one voice in the smoke. It was that soldier's wife, who was crying over her husband's body. Caellen quickly ran over to the grieving woman and placed a hand on the man's chest. "What are you doing?! Can't you see he's hurt!" She yelled, but Caellen continued to press on the man's chest. There might still have been hope, but after a few minutes of pushing, he could tell that the man was gone. The wind finally started to blow away the smoke, allowing everyone to take in the horrible damage.

"Caellen! There you are!" One of the commanders yelled as he, and a multitude of soldiers, ran up to him. "Are you okay? What happened?" He asked, but Caellen could only shrug. That explosion definitely wasn't his doing, it was his flames that served as the catalyst, but he did not pull the trigger. The commander took a second to regain his breath before he continued talking. "Almost half of us were caught in the blast, any idea what caused it?" He asked him. Caellen shook his head.

"I have no idea. Maybe it was..." The turncoat couldn't finish his sentence. As he was interrupted by the sound of screams coming from the entrance of the charred tent.

"Did you enjoy my present? You little traitor?" A sinister voice said as the screams grew closer. It was a familiar voice, but it wasn't until the sound of dropping bodies reached him that he recognized who it was.

"Kel..." Caellen nearly slapped himself. How in the world could he forget Kel?! Caellen quickly turned to the commander and the other soldiers to speak, but they were gone. In their place lay their corpses, collapsed like puppets cut from their strings. Honestly he was just about to scream for help, but his voice was cut off when he felt a strange force drag him up into the air.

"I remember you." Kel's viper-like voice said as he walked out from behind a pile of bodies. "You certainly didn't speak much, but you were there." The boy snapped his fingers and smiled. "I didn't know why then, but I always had this itch to put my blade through your gut, now I know why."

"Gah! Wh...a...guh!" Caellen started, but he couldn't continue. He was too busy struggling for breath to speak; however, he didn't need to. His eyes said it all. _A black hood... and a sword of fire? He's!_ Kel grinned and gave the man a round of applause.

"I can tell that you recognize me. So tell me... are you scared? Wait! Don't answer that!" Kel said as he lifted Caellen even further up into the air. "I'll just let you hang there. You've served your purpose." With a snap of his wrist Kel dragged two large boulders from the ground and aimed them at Caellen. "There's no need to keep you alive. Two very helpful soldiers already told me everything. Tell them I said 'thank you'." And with that Kel's fist closed, and the turncoat was gone. _Now that he's dealt with._ Kel thought as he turned to the large tent in the back of the camp. _It's time to 'free' my allies._

* * *

"What was that?!" One of the tied-up captains yelled as he felt the ground begin to rumble. He, and the rest of the captains, waited with baited breath as the screams of the Earth Nation soldiers drew closer and closer. Suddenly, the iron-bound door to their cell blew open, and the guards collapsed in a bloody heap onto the ground.

"Who's there!" Another captain yelled as a figure walked through the doorway. Everyone recognized the figure immediately.

"Kel!" One of the captains yelled as the boy waltzed towards them. The strange fire sword was new; however, all of them were too happy to care. Even the ones who despised the boy couldn't help but leap in joy when they saw him. They were free!

"Is Azula out there? What happened to the mission?" One of the commanders asked the boy; however, Kel remained silent and just grinned at the captains. "Well are you going to answer my question or-"

 _Chop!_

"Shut your mouth." Kel said as the captain's head rolled down onto the floor. The others recoiled back into their cells, and with their hands and feet bound, none of them could defend themselves. What proceeded next was a massacre. Body after body, slash after slash.

"But why?!" The last captain yelled as Kel raised his sword.

"Because..." Kel started as he plunged his blade into the man's body. "With you guys out of the way. I'll have the princess's ear all to myself." The last captain could only glare at Kel as the life left his eyes. A few seconds later he too was dead; making Kel the only living being left in the camp. "Now then," Kel lifted up his arms and wrenched two large stones from the walls. He sighed. _This was the part I was dreading._ And with that he brought his hands together, and slammed his body with the stones. The young sith lord could feel his bones crack underneath the pressure of the rocks; large bruises started to appear almost immediately. It looked like an earth bender had given him quite the rough time. And that was exactly what he was going for.

His body now properly battered and bruised from 'battle', Kel walked outside and lifted his right hand up into the air. It took a few minutes, and quite a lot of whistling, but eventually a Fire Nation messenger hawk appeared on the horizon. He took the blank piece of parchment attached to the hawk's leg and wrote a message:

 **Central camp taken. Me and the captains captured. Executions draw near. Send help.**

 **~Kel**

"Give this to the princess." He said, and he released the bird.

* * *

 **I'm back again guys! How's it going?! A tiny bit late but that was because I was working on another story! Don't get mad please! You know how writing gets... Anyway! Things are starting to pick up! I'm not going to say anything else. Just know that the next few chapters are coming soon!**

 **Also, I was thinking about doing a pairing. If you guys don't want it I can take the hint. But if you wouldn't mind a pairing, or just a little comedy thing on the side. Please don't hesitate to give me your desired candidates! I'm leaning towards Ty Lee! But I would like your input since, you know, your the ones reading the story.**

 **Anyway, please review(PLEASE)and rate, and I'll see you on the next chapter of The Wandering Shadow!**

 **Chapter Five: Checkmate  
**


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